Backwater Parallels 1: Encounters
by Scarlet Weather
Summary: Set in the Shadowchasers universe originally created by Cyber Commander. Parallel to "Knightfall" by 7th Librarian. Achan Seventh's creators unveil themselves, and Kastleneid is trapped by a dark force. What new encounters will these two make in their time of need?
1. Chapter 1

Greetings, everyone.

A lot has happened since I posted Colors of Madness chapter three- I mean, quite a lot. Boyfriends were met, new projects were started, restaurants were eaten at, chickens were raised, and Pokemon X and Y were released.

Also I got the offer to start this fanfic. This story is set in Backwater, and runs parallel with 7th Librarian's "Knightfall". It should be possible to figure out when each chapter of "Encounters" takes place in relation to that story through contextual clues. Encounters is, in many ways, a very personal fanfic for me. Naturally I still welcome your criticism.

Special thanks to 7th Librarian, for giving me permission to do this. Also to my beta-reader and best sister ever, Mika; and to my boyfriend whom I love.

All characters are property of nobody in particular because I don't hold an actual copyright, but I like them a lot and if you misuse them I will be cross at you for months and won't invite you to my birthday party. Kastleneid and all cast members of Knightfall were donated by 7th Librarian and the San Antonio zoo. No actual chimeras were harmed during the writing of this story, except for a very mean one that we mistook for a manticore during the redraft. It was, however, a Manticore of Darkness and simply came back to the field during the standby phase.

All homebrewed cards are open game unless contextually implied to be unique in some fashion. Hint hint.

This story has no connection to Burning Red.

_Encounter 1_

"First Sight"

Achan Seventh had a problem.

The problem wasn't the fact that he hadn't made much money that day at all, and what he had made he had mostly procured by tilting vending machines, leaving him with pockets full of quarters that weighed about six tons more than they really should. The problem wasn't the fact that his camp was kind of a shitty place to return home to, located as it was in the middle of a dense forest on the outskirts of Backwater. The problem wasn't that said forest happened to be filled with endangered magical species most humans didn't even know existed. The problem also wasn't fact that his 'camp' currently consisted of a rusted-out junker of a frame that might have passed for a D-Wheel at some point in the distant past, a tent made from sewn-together canvas, and a campfire circle minus enough wood for a decent fire.

No, the problem was the bear-sized, six-legged, crocodile-headed chimera sniffing around in the middle of the camp when he got back. The one that had lunged at him as soon as he had come home.

"Shitshitshitshit-"

The chimera's claws rent the air. Achan stumbled backward, barely avoiding the blow. The beast hissed, moving forward. All six of its eyes glared at him. The creature was vicious, massive, and covered from head to toe in thick, natural armor that protected it from both physical and magical assault. Achan was a scrawny kid clad in a blue hoodie who barely stood above five feet.

The chimera's advantage was obvious.

Achan crawled backward, not even bothering to get up from the ground, until he felt his back pinned against a tree. "shiiit-" he moaned. "Shit, shit-"

The lizard reared up on its hind legs, its four forelimbs extended outward and its maw wide open.

It lunged for him and he rolled to the side, barely avoiding it. It occurred to him that the monster was probably being slowed a bit by the unusually cold weather that evening. If it was moving at full speed, he would probably have been dead by now.

The thought spurred an instant reaction.

_Survive._

Achan reached down, pulling up the left sleeve of his hoodie to reveal his forearm- wrapped in white strips of cloth. "Sorry, Devi. I know I promised you could sleep while we camped out but..."

The lizard charged again.

"I don't think you wanna die either."

Achan tugged and the cloth came away, revealing the intricate designs tattooed onto his arm. He lifted it just as the lizard was upon him. _"Lock!"_

The creature roared in shock as its movements were arrested in the air, a red halo of light drawing itself around the center of its body. Achan ran forward, putting a safe distance between himself and the monster before the creature pounded its prison multiple times, breaking it to pieces.

Of all the things, it had to be magic-resistant.

Achan lifted his arm again, waving it outward. "_Invisible Stair!"_

The air under his feet solidified as he moved, carrying him higher with each footstep. The creature lunged, but the barriers Achan created vanished as soon as his feet lifted from them, leaving it ground bound. The monster's roars continued, changing to almost pitiful whines as Achan settled a comfortable distance away from it- apparently it didn't want to climb the nearby trees. With a sigh of relief, Achan sat, a barrier instantly forming beneath him and allowing him to dangle his legs off into thin air. "Sorry 'bout that, Devi."

A murky shape, only visible to him, materialized. _[And once again, I bail you out. Tell me, did you really need my help for seals that basic?]_

"I'm almost there! I can do 'invisible stair' and the rest of the cantrips just fine by now!" Achan defended himself. "I just needed a little extra-"

_[Rest easy. You have been working hard, I do not hold it against you. And had we died there, it would have-] _"Devi" turned his entire body- small enough that even in his indistinct state it was obvious he wasn't much bigger than Achan's head- [_Achan_. _Correct me if I am wrong, but is that chimera wagging its tail?]_

Achan looked down. The lizard monster's pitiful whines continued as it did, indeed, wag its scaly tail and look up at him, all six eyes aglow with desire. It stood on its hindmost legs, the other four paddling the air as it attempted to find some way to climb up to him. Almost as if it were-

That was when he caught sight of the collar. It had been patterned to match the chimera's skin, so even if the thing had not possessed such distracting features as six eyes, six legs, and a pair of vestigial bat-like wings it would have been hard to notice. "...That thing is a pet," Achan muttered to Devi. "Somebody was trying to breed a guard chimera or something, screwed up, and let it loose out here. It's a freakin' Labrador."

Devi chuckled. _[Castoffs certainly gravitate to you.]_

Achan smiled, playfully punching at the misty form of his partner. "Guess that explains you, doesn't it?"

_[Revision. Castoffs gravitate to _me._]_

Ignoring Devi's parting shot, Achan began to descend, his barrier stairway rebuilding itself as he climbed down. He opened his arms wide to the lizard monster. "Hey, big guy. You just wanted to play?"

In response the chimera leaped on Achan, pinned him to the ground, opened up its cavernous jaws and-

-playfully began licking him with a surprisingly warm forked tongue. Achan found himself giggling involuntarily. "H-hey, quit it!" He reached up, trying to keep the monster's tongue from pulling his matted red hair away from where it fell over his right eye. "That's-"

The monster fell off of Achan and let out a bloodcurdling yelp.

Achan scrambled to his feet, his hood falling away and exposing slightly spiky red hair and bangs combed to cover up his right eye. "Hey, what the hell-"

The monster was currently trapped underneath a girl who was just a bit taller than Achan. He stared at her in a mixture of awe and shock. Her movements had taken him completely by surprise. One moment she hadn't been there, and the next she had leaped down on the monster he'd befriended.

She was like an animal. A beautiful, feral animal.

In a minute he had drunk her appearance in. Her clothing was ornate and obviously hand picked for her. A dark blue dress coat of some kind, trimmed in gold, hid her body from her chest down to her knees, and beneath that he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a cloth catsuit of some kind- designed for function over form, allowing for ease of movement without clinging too tightly to the body and accentuating her features. Her skin was pale- too pale for a human. Her body had developed- quite a bit, in fact. The face of a younger girl, a body that couldn't decide if it was that or a woman's yet. He needed some kind of phrase to describe her, some-

_[Frozen in adolescence,]_ Devi suggested.

"That," Achan murmured, half-enthralled. The girl had raised her hand, her snow-white hair giving off a pale shine in the moonlight, and-

_[That blow is meant to kill.]_

Achan leaped forward as soon as his partner's words entered his mind. His right arm extended, and the girl's hand was arrested in mid-air by a red halo that bound it in place. She turned, her the expression on her face a mixture of surprise and frustration. "...Why and how have you bound me?" she asked. Her voice seemed strange to Achan- her accent was pronounced, probably Slavic. More than that, it was the tone of the question. Frustration ran through it, but so did curiosity. She was genuinely interested in hearing his answer.

"He's safe," Achan answered, pointing to the monster. "He's-"

He took a closer look. He had been wondering why his new friend hadn't thrown the girl off.

Now he knew.

The ice crystals had not been there a moment ago, but they were now. And they pinned the chimera's legs and tail to the ground as effectively as the girl's hand was arrested by Achan's binding. The monster whimpered as more ice grew up, threatening to encase its head. "I told you, stop!" Achan shouted, starting to panic. "He's harmless! He was just playing with me!"

"I must feed," the girl said, making no effort to interrupt the flow of her magic. "I am sorry but I must feed. And he is the only non-human creature I have encountered today."

_[Vampire], _Devi surmised, observing her. _[And probably something else before she became that. I am not sure what.]_

Achan looked at the chimera, then up at the girl. Then he made his decision. He raised his left hand into the air and clenched his fist. A sound like shattering glass rang out as a seal broke, and a silver-plated shield appeared on his right arm. With a whirring sound the "shield's" outer rim split away into five separate pieces. A deck and graveyard slot opened. Achan reached down to his belt and, almost reverently, removed a deck and inserted it into the duel disk's slot. "Devi-"

_[Understood. Remember, I won't be able to help you directly in there until you draw my vessel. You're on your own.]_

Achan nodded. "Right."

The murky shape of Devi began to coalesce, its features growing more defined. _[By my title as Count, I invoke the rite of the Shadow Game!]_

Two circles, one within the other, carved themselves onto the ground and caged Achan and the girl within them. Runes traced themselves between the two circles as the world outside the boundary, chimera included, faded away into darkness. The girl blinked in surprise as a duel disk of her own materialized on her left arm. "This is _surprising." _she announced, taking in her new surroundings. "_Moder_ informs me that the Rare Hunters were disbanded and that for the most part, only minions of darkness possessed such powers. But Mama says that I have a rare instinct for spotting intent. I do not sense dark intent from you."

"I don't belong to anyone like that."

Achan's voice was harsh. A far cry from his earlier tone. "I am me. My name is Achan Seventh, and I won't let you hurt something that can't help what it is!"

The girl stiffened. "...I am Kastleneid. I, too, cannot help what I am'." She tilted her head to the side. "Why do you wish to hurt me?"

Achan shook his head. "I don't. This Shadow Game isn't on the same level of a Duel of Darkness. It's more like a second cousin." He scratched the back of his head. "Um... to put it bluntly, all I did was lock us in a room that won't open until we finish dueling. The loser is traditionally subjected to a penalty decided on by the winner but... my penalty will be 'nothing'."

"I... see." Kastleneid steeled herself. "...then my penalty will be-"

"Nothing?"

"Blood."

Achan blinked. "...Or that."

"I do not hunt humans. But if I do not feed soon, I run the risk of losing control later. If I drink tonight, I will be able to stop myself from taking too much. Therefore, If I win, I ask that you allow me to feed." Kastleneid lifted her duel disk. "...That is all."

"I understand." Achan lifted his own duel disk. "I'm not a vampire, but I wouldn't want to go hungry either if it meant I'd start eating people."

Both combatants looked each other in the eye. And then, as if in unspoken agreement, their voices rang out. "Duel!"

"I know it's supposed to be 'ladies first', but in a Shadow Game it's traditional for the initiator to take the first move," Achan declared. "Draw!" After surveying his hand, he selected a card. "I summon Vagabond Hero Jill, in attack position." A tall, dark-haired woman clad in a tattered cloak and wide-brimmed hat materialized in front of Achan, two prominent scars running down the sides of her face. Throwing aside her cloak to reveal the piecemeal uniform beneath, she drew a rapier and mock-saluted Kastleneid, glaring at her. (1800/1200)

Achan continued. "Vagabond Hero Jill's effect lets me lower her attack points by five hundred until my next Standby Phase. And when her attack points are lower than her original attack points, once per turn I can negate her destruction by battle or card effect." He raised out a hand. "I'll use the effect that lowers her attack now! _Battle scars!" _Jill sheathed her rapier with a grimace, pulling her tattered cloak tight around her body once more. (1300/1200)

Achan slid a card into his duel disk. "I'll set this, and that's it for my turn."

Kastleneid looked at the monster. "...it can't be destroyed. I see. Draw." She fumbled with the cards in her hand, looking through them one by one.

"Bad hand?" Achan asked sympathetically.

"...No. It is satisfactory." Kastleneid lifted a card and placed it on her duel disk. "I will summon Rose Veiler, in attack position." A large, red rose burst from the ground in front of Kastleneid, its petals unfurling to reveal a beautiful, androgynous figure with long red hair inside. (1200/0) "Then, I will activate Rose Veiler's effect. By tributing it, I can special summon two level four plant-type monsters from my hand." Kastleneid nodded to her monster as the flower it had emerged from closed up around it and burst, creating a whirlwind of scarlet petals. "_Rose scatter."_

Achan clenched his teeth. "...uh-oh-"

"The monsters I summon will be... Botanical Lion in attack position, and Sunflower Emissary." As Kastleneid carefully placed each card on the disk her monsters appeared- first a fierce-looking lion whose body was made from wood and whose mane consisted of flower petals (1600/2000), and then a young girl dressed in yellow whose green hair was interwoven with sunflowers (0/2000).

Achan grimaced, but didn't touch his set card.

"Botanical Lion gains 300 attack points for each plant type on my field. There are two." Kastleneid pointed at Achan's battle-scarred hero. "Battle. Lion attacks Jill. _Timber Crush._" With a roar, the wooden lion leaped at Jill, flowers blooming from its body as it lunged. (1600 + 300 + 300 = 2200 Atk) (2200 vs. 1300)

Jill raised her rapier, catching Botanical Lion's fangs just as they would have ground her head into a pulp and forcing him back with a grunt. "Jill's effect will save her from being destroyed by battle," Achan grimaced as the life point counter on his duel disk fell. "But I still take the damage." (8000 – 900 = 7100 LP)

"I set one card, and end my turn." Kastleneid lifted Sunflower Emissary from her duel disk. "And during my end phase, Sunflower Emissary may be tributed in order to summon Marina, Princess of Sunflowers from my hand-"

As the young girl dissolved into a spray of golden petals that began to drift upward, an imposing female figure's silhouette appearing between them, Achan grinned. "Gotcha! Trap card, Time Slip!"

Just as Marina's form solidified, the figure dissolved into mist. Kastleneid frowned as her duel disk began rejecting the card, beeping until she had removed it from the monster card zone. Achan smiled. "I don't have anything to deal with a monster that big now, but that won't matter if it's not around. Time Slip sends a monster two turns into the future, removing it from play until your second standby phase after I activated it. That leaves you with one monster, one card in your hand, and one set. Not a lot left for me to break through."

Kastleneid let out a small "ah" as she looked at her field. It was true- tributing two monsters in a row had left her with a much smaller field and hand presence than Achan, even if her monster was more powerful. Botanical Lion growled as some of the flowers on its body began to wilt without the presence of another plant-type monster to draw on. (2200- 300 = 1900 Atk)

"Time Slip has a second effect." Achan surveyed his hand, selecting a copy of Blackwing, Bora the Spear and slipping it into his graveyard slot. "After it resolves, I can send a card from my hand to the graveyard to draw one card from my deck. And then we're back to my turn, so draw! And during my standby phase, Jill's attack points return to normal!" Jill stood up, throwing back her cloak and drawing her rapier once more. (1800/1200)Achan twirled his next card on his fingertip – a miracle of physics made possible only by a pair of well-directed barriers keeping it in place- before allowing it to fall onto his monster card zone. "I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin!"

The monster who took shape beside Jill was a far cry from Achan's tattered warrior- he was a proud and noble knight, clad in silver armor with a red-trimmed cape. (1800/1200). "Let's do this," Achan pointed at Botanical Lion, who still stood between him and Kastleneid. "Jain, attack Botanical Lion! _Shining Slash!"_ With a battle cry, the knight lunged into the air and bringing his broadsword down upon Botanical Lion with a massive overhand slash.

"That monster is weaker than..." Kastleneid stepped back as Jain's blade slashed Botanical Lion neatly in half, her monster exploding as Jain leapt back to Achan's field. "What?" (8000 – 200 = 7800 LP)

"When Jain attacks a monster, he gets three hundred attack points for that battle." Achan nodded to Jill, who brandished her rapier. "Next, my Vagabond Hero will attack your life points directly!" Jill lunged forward at Achan's command, her rapier aimed at Kastleneid's heart. "_Brilliant Point!"_

Kastleneid stumbled backward as the attack approached, and flinched. Her hand hesitated as she reached out to her duel disk. "Defense Draw negates the battle's damage-"

A wall of ice sprang up, and Jill cursed wordlessly as she was forced to retreat to avoid it. The ice shattered into crystals. "And as its secondary effect, I draw one card."

Achan selected a card from his hand and set it. "During my end phase, Jain's effect forces me to send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard." He winced as he looked at the identity of each card- both Quick-Attack Scarecrow and Shock Draw would have been useful.

Kastleneid reached for her deck. "I draw-"

"This is your first duel, isn't it?"

Kastleneid hesitated, her fingertips already touching her card. "What?"

"This duel." Achan looked at her closely. "You've got a really powerful deck, but you seem unsure of every move- it takes you a minute to map them out. You tributed your cards recklessly without any real plan in mind beyond summoning the powerful monster in your hand. You keep handling your cards like they're fragile." He smiled at her, warmly. "No offense but it's easy to tell you aren't used to dueling like this. You probably just learned the game a little while ago, didn't you?"

"...it is not my first time playing." Kastleneid averted her eyes from Achan. "Mama and _Moder... _they have coached me in each game since my 'rebirth'. But this is my first time playing alone since- since I got away from-"

Achan's face softened. "I know what it's like to be on the run." He smiled at her. "It's going to be okay though. This is a low-stakes game, right? I just wanted to distract you to let that puppy-dog-chimera-thing get away, and you just want to feed. Just relax and duel. You'll find a way to pull through."

Kastleneid's silver-white hair shimmered as she drew. "I am grateful for your sympathy. As well as your encouragement. However, _Moder _would be disappointed if my appreciation caused me to give any less than my all. Draw." A third card entered her hand, and despite her empty field Kastleneid was smiling. "I activate the spell card, Tempo Change. If the number of cards on your field and in your hand exceeds my own by three or more, I can pay three thousand life points. The second effect of my card will activate during this turn's end phase." (7800- 3000 = 4800 LP)

Achan whistled appreciatively. "Hey, I know that card. Not a bad move!"

"I summon Phoenixian Seed, in attack position." The ground in front of Kastleneid's feet broke as a large, orange-brown plant blossom broke through, its center opening to reveal a large eye. (800/0). "Then I'll tribute it to activate its monster effect. Come forth from my hand, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis!"

The seed bulb burst into flames, and Achan winced- of all the things, he had really been hoping that Kastleneid's lowered hand didn't have the resources to summon another plant-type of this size. Instead he was now staring down a large cluster of orange stalks, each tipped with a brilliant red flower. The largest flower, shaped like a bird's head, stared him down as flames licked around the plant's base. (2200/0)

Kastleneid, for the first time in the duel, smiled. "I see you have discovered I am no amateur. Battle. Amaryliss, attack... hm!" Kastleneid's eyes shone with recognition. "I see, you never lowered your monster's attack points. Very well- Amaryllis, attack Vagabond Hero Jill." The Phoenixian cluster's heads zeroed in on Achan's warrior, who let out a wordless curse as she crouched into a defensive stance- a moment too late. The Phoenix heads sprang open, pelting her with flaming seeds until she burnt away to nothing. "_Phoenix Shower."_

Achan stumbled back from the attack's shockwave, his life points decreasing. (7100 – 400 = 6800) "And that's not all," he realized. "When Amaryllis battles-"

"It will be destroyed. And when it is destroyed, you will take eight hundred points of damage." The cluster's flames finally wrapped around it, consuming it. With a last cry, the burning cluster exploded. Achan stumbled backwards, using his arms to shield himself from the damage. (6800 – 800 = 6000)

"I end my turn. And during my end phase, the effect of Tempo Change activates." Kastleneid reached for her deck. "I draw three cards. In addition, I activate the effect of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis- by banishing Phoenixian Seed from the graveyard, it will be special summoned back to the field in face-up defense position." The cluster burst from the ground once more, this time crouching. (2200/0)

"Not bad. You evened up our life points, then rebuilt your entire hand in one move." Achan smiled at Kastleneid again as she studied her new hand. "For your first uncoached duel, you're doing great!"

"Achan?"

Achan blinked. "Yeah?"

Kastleneid looked up from her cards. "Your surname is Seventh. Why is that?"

Achan's face set for a moment. "I never got to know the other six. They were failures, so they were destroyed before they could even begin to live."

"Failures..." Kastleneid turned the word over in her head. "I sensed something about you when we first met. You were thrown away by people who created you?"

"Heh. Actually, I just ran.." Achan's smile became noticeably more forced as he reached for his deck. "I did it because I was their first _success_." The forced smile returned to a more natural one in the next moment. "Either way, that has nothing to do with our duel, right? My turn, draw!" Achan added a fourth card to his hand, then surveyed the contents. "...Hmmm. Here we go-"

He stopped himself. He could attack with the cards he had in mind, but at the end of his turn, Marina would return to play, and Amaryllis would revive. That would leave him completely exposed, and tear his combo to pieces. That left one other option.

"I switch Jain to defense position, then set a monster on the field face-down and end my turn!" Achan declared. Jain knelt on one knee, glaring at the Cluster in front of him in frustration. (1800/1200)

_Sorry, Jain_, Achan thought to himself. _I know you wanted to fight, but right now we need to hold off just a bit longer._ "During my end phase, Jain's effect sends two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." Achan smiled as he saw the two, then slipped Shield Crush and Quillbolt Hedgehog into his graveyard.

Kastleneid studied him intently as he finished his turn, then nodded. "I see. _That_ is why your deck seems familiar."

Achan looked up. "Eh?"

"Your cards. I have not played long, but I could not understand the strategy you were using at all. I thought this was simply my inexperience. However, I believe I see it now. You do not have a proper deck, correct? This one is built primarily from packs meant to teach young duelists how to play. That is why your monsters are all useful, but do not form a cohesive whole. It is not unlike the cards my mothers taught me to play with."

Achan winced. "...Eh, got it in one."

"Are you then new to the game as well?" Kastleneid asked as she drew.

"I've been a duelist my entire life." Achan smiled, reminiscing. "But my monsters all came from bargain packs and cards people didn't want anymore. I can't afford more powerful cards, so I gave them a home."

"I see. In that case, I shall view your deck as a handicap." Kastleneid raised an arm into the air as yellow petals began to appear in the air around her. "During my standby phase, the card you banished using Time Slip returns to me. Marina, Princess of Sunflowers is summoned in attack position." The yellow petals joined together, forming a massive sunflower. From its center a beautiful woman wearing a sunflower-adorned headdress rose, her petal-like hair draping down to her back. (2800/1600). "I move Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis into attack position." Kastleneid's monster sprang to attention, staring down Achan's field. (2200/0). "Then I will summon Lonefire Blossom."

Achan gulped. "Oh."

The ground beside Amaryllis burst open, revealing a frail of a plant which, nonetheless, seemed more than capable of withstanding the flames burning at its base. (500/1400) "By tributing Lonefire Blossom, I special summon a plant type monster from my deck." Almost as soon as it had sprouted, Kastleneid's monster burst into flames and faded away. "I will choose Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms in attack position." From the ashes of Lonefire Blossom, a massive pink-petaled cherry blossom appeared, opening to reveal a regal woman in a violet kimono. Both plant princesses stared down at Achan, who shrunk back a bit. (2800/1200)

"Talaya gains one hundred extra attack points for each plant-type monster I control." (2800 + 300 = 3100) "In addition, plant-type monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects. And if a plant-type monster is destroyed by battle or effect, Marina will destroy one of your cards as retribution. And now..." Kastleneid closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Mama will be proud. I will finish you off this turn, with this card. I banish Emissary of Sunflowers in my graveyard to equip Mark of the Rose to your Jain!"

Achan's eyes widened- not just at Jain, who clawed at the burning rose-shape brand on his neck to no avail as its power compelled him to travel to Kastleneid's field, but also at Kastleneid herself. "Kastleneid- that's the first time you've spoken with that much emotion during this duel."

"I did?" Kastleneid blinked in surprise. "...I... I did. That is interesting. Abnormal for me."

"It shouldn't be." Achan shook his head. "I don't wanna tell you how to live your life, but it's the right of every duelist to be excited about a duel."

"Someone else has said similar things to me." Kastleneid smiled at Achan for the first time. "I like him. And I believe... yes." She switched Jain to attack position as she continued with her turn. "I believe I like you as well. You interrupted my feeding tonight, which was dangerous, but you did it to help- not even a friend. A stranger who you felt pity for. I am not opposed to forming a friendship with you."

Achan couldn't help blushing. "...That might actually be the sweetest thing anyone's said to me."

"I am quite pleased to hear that." Kastleneid's smile suddenly gained a mischievous edge. "However, do not expect me to show you mercy in this duel because of it. Jain, Lightsworn Paladin will attack your set monster. And when Jain attacks, it gains three hundred attack points. _Shining Slash!"_

Jain resisted the power of the Mark as much as he could, but it was to no avail. Achan braced himself as Jain leaped into the air, his shining sword gleaming as he brought down the blade-

-and was intercepted by the wings of Achan's defending monster, who repelled him with ease. "Nice try, but you won't finish me that easy. Shield Wing's effect keeps it from being destroyed by battle up to two times in a turn." Achan reached out, petting the head of the pterodactyl-like creature, who murred softly in approval. (0/900)

Jain seemed relieved that his attack hadn't hurt his comrade as he leaped back to standby position. Achan sighed in relief as well- only to notice Kastleneid's grin hadn't vanished. "That monster is face-up now, so the conditions for this card's activation are met. Quickplay spell, Rose Barrage!"

Shield Wing screamed in pain as a veritable tornado of red petals struck him, heavily scarring his body. Achan raised his arms to shield himself as well as the petals skirted straight past Shield Wing and began to strike him directly. "Rose Barrage negates the effect of one face-up monster, and deals eight hundred points of damage to its controller!" Kastleneid explained. (LP 6000 – 800 = 5200). "Next, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis will attack Shield Wing. _Phoenix Shower!_" Once more Amaryllis screeched as it released a hailstorm of flaming seeds, shattering Achan's monster. "And by Amarlyllis's effect, it is destroyed after that battle. And because it was destroyed, you take eight hundred points of damage!"

The flaming flowers attempted to burn to pieces, but a wave of mist washed over them, healing their stalks. Kastleneid's expression changed to one of confusion. "How?"

"Ehe." Achan pointed to Talaya, who snapped shut her fan and bowed. "It's Talaya's effect. While she's on the field, other plant-type monsters can't be destroyed by card effects- _either_ player's card effects."

"I see." Kastleneid's confusion vanished, and her grin returned. "I apologize. It appears I was not experienced enough to read that interaction. Though I am afraid that will not change the result of this duel."

"I wouldn't count on that." Achan tapped his duel disk. "I activate the effect of my set card, Devil Pipes! By this spell card's effect, I'll search my deck for a Devil Kuriboh and add it to my hand." Achan's deck automatically shuffled itself, spitting out the required card. He held it up just long enough for Kastleneid to see that the art was identical to the garden-variety Kuriboh, sans the addition of bat-like wings.

"Simply adding a monster card to your hand will not save you." Kastleneid nodded to her monsters. "My flower princesses have yet to attack. First, Marina- attack Achan directly, with _Morning Sunburst!"_ Marina rose up from the center of her sunflower blossom, clapping her hands together. A large, red ball of flame gathered above her head before swooping down toward Achan, who brought his duel disk up to block. The fireball exploded as soon as it hit, sending him stumbling backwards several steps until his back hit the boundary of the Shadow Game's circle. (5200- 2800 = 2600)

Talaya opened her fan as Kastleneid pointed at Achan. "Sorry, but this is 'game over'. Talaya, finish this duel! _Dance of Spring!_"

Talaya waved the fan outward, and a a tornado filled with cherry blossoms hurtled toward Achan. He smiled, reaching for a card in his hand. "Not bad for your first time, Kastle. But remember-"

" 'Kastle'?" Kastleneid tilted her head slightly, surprised by the use of the nickname.

"You're still a new player!" Achan slipped the card into his graveyard slot. "Devil Kuriboh's monster effect activates. Come on, partner, let's show her what we've got!"

Just as the attack was about to impact Achan, the Kuriboh he had searched for earlier appeared, folding its bat-like wings in to catch the brunt of Talaya's attack. As the flower petals dispersed, a white aura appeared around its body. _[And once again, it falls to me to save you. You'd be dead by now if I weren't around.]_

"And you wouldn't want it any other way, Devi." Turning his attention away from his monster, Achan stared down Kastleneid. "Devil Kuriboh works a bit differently than the Kuriboh family you're used to. First, its effect reduces battle damage from an attack to zero. But afterward? That's when things get interesting." The white aura surrounding Devi began to pulse, and the brown puffball's bat wings- originally almost vestigial- expanded until they dwarfed its entire body. "Now we both take effect damage equal to half the battle damage I would have received. And since I would have taken three thousand points of damage..."

"Both of us will receive one thousand five hundred points of damage from the effect." Kastleneid stepped back. "But that means-"

"That means I'll be barely hanging on. But more importantly, you're going to have thirty-three hundred life points left. And trust me- next turn that's going to make a big difference. Devi, do it!" Achan clenched his right hand into a fist, thrusting it outward. "_Seal Impact!"_

Devi's wings burned with light as he flapped them once, releasing a shockwave of white energy. Achan and Kastleneid were both forced back several steps as the impact struck. (2600 – 1500 = 1100 LP) (4800 – 1500 = 3300)

Kastleneid recovered first. "A move that cripples your own life points but saves you from defeat." Her smile returned. "I have only dueled a few people so far. But you are different from all of them." She sighed, nodding to Jain. "During the end phase, Mark of the Rose returns the equipped monster to your control." Achan's paladin leaped back to his side of the field, angrily scratching at the brand on his neck.

"I appreciate that endorsement." Achan stood as well, having been thrown onto his back by Devi's release of energy. "Incidentally, I know it's bad form to correct a new player, but you made one mistake there, Kastle."

"Kastle. I... hmm. Yes, I like this nickname." Kastleneid tilted her head to the side again. "I admit, I have only played this game a short time, but I could not find any flaws in my strategy last turn. Why do you say I had them?"

"You forgot Marina's effect," Achan explained. "If you had thought things through you could have summoned a different flower princess than Talaya and used Marina's effect when Amaryllis was destroyed to destroy my face-up Shield Wing. Then you could have attacked directly with all three of your face-up monsters to win the duel. But now even though you've devastated my life points, I can take you out with one blow. It's my turn." He closed his eyes, resting his fingers lightly on the top card of his deck. _One more card, that's all I need..._

"Draw!"

Achan's face lit up at the sight of his draw. "Alright, this is it! First things first." He placed a monster on his duel disk. "I summon Junk Synchron!" A squat, orange-clothed figure appeared beside Jain, glaring across the field at Kastleneid's monsters . (1300/500). "By his effect, I can summon a level two or lower monster from the graveyard. Come on, Devil Kuriboh!" Devi's card emerged from the graveyard slot, and Achan placed him on the duel disk next to Jain as well.

_[I see you intend to finish this in style.]_ Devi noted as he settled down next to the Lightsworn. (300/100). _[I am sure Jain will approve of this move.]_

"Won't he though," Achan whispered to Devi, nodding in approval. He tapped his duel disk again. "Junk Synchron is a tuner monster, so I'll activate the effect of the Quillbolt Hedgehog in my graveyard, special summoning it to the field!" The sound of digging could be heard, and then an orange hedgehog emerged from the ground, large bolts replacing its quills. (800/0)

"Level one, level three tuner, level four, and level two... a level ten synchro summon? I do not know any monsters that could counter my field with that description," Kastleneid observed. Achan detected a note of nervousness in her voice as she did so.

"Well, the good news is I'm not going to synchro summon." Achan tapped his duel disk's extra deck slot and it opened, revealing that it was completely empty. "Kinda hard without synchro monsters. But with this, my field's filled up. And next, three spell cards that'll bring this game to a close!" Achan slipped the remaining three cards in his hand into his duel disk, one after another. "I activate United We Stand and Mage Power equipped to Jain, as well as Blustering Winds, designating Jain as the target!"

A golden aura shone around Jain as the paladin closed his eyes and began to rise into the air. Golden streams of light connected him to each of Achan's other monsters while rings of green energy flowed from the two face-up equip cards on his field to his sword. A windstorm kicked up as Jain's eyes snapped open, his sudden overwhelming presence causing Kastleneid's monsters to flinch back. Kastleneid looked up at Achan's suddenly empowered monster. "What is this...?"

"The effects of my spell cards." Achan grinned, throwing up his now-empty hands in a gesture of apology. "Sorry I had to pull this in your first solo duel, but my friends here would be pretty embarrassed if I lost to a first-timer. First, United We Stand gives Jain eight hundred attack points for each monster I control- that's four right now. Then Mage Power gives it five hundred attack points for each of my spell and trap cards- that's two. Then Blustering Winds raises the attack points of its target by one thousand until my next standby phase. Or in other words..."

"Your monster's total attack power is-" Kastleneid let out a small "-ah" as she worked out the exact number.

"Seven thousand!" Achan confirmed. (1800 + 3200 + 1000 + 1000 = 7000) Jain raised his blade, returning to earth as he prepared his final attack. "And since Jain gets a three hundred point attack boost when he battles an opponent's monster, that's more than enough attack points to finish you off... Jain, let's bring this duel to a close! Attack Marina, Princess of Sunflowers!" The aura which had surrounded Jain flowed into his sword, transforming it into a blade of light that towered over the battlefield. Marina stared back at it, filled with resolve. "_Brave... BLADE!_"

Kastleneid looked up at the attack as it rushed down toward her monster. "...I have lost..."

In the next moment the blade connected, and the entire battlefield was consumed in a blinding flash of light.

When it cleared, the two had been returned to Achan's camp in the center of the forest. Both were laid out flat on the ground. (LP 3300 – 4500 = 0)

With a pitiful whine, the chimera Achan had saved rushed to his side, frantically licking his face. "ahaha, it's okay, it's okay big guy! I'm fine, see?" Achan protested. The chimera pulled back, allowing him to get up. "You alright, Kastle?"

"I lost..." Kastleneid pulled herself to her feet, dusting off her coat. "And I am disappointed with that. However." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "However even my mothers have not made me that excited during a duel. I believe I finally understand what the term 'duelist spirit' means. For that, you have my thanks." She turned, preparing to leap away.

"Wait!" Achan grabbed Kastleneid's shoulder.

Reflexively she flipped him over her back and pinned him to the ground, pulling back one of her hands as if to deliver a killing blow. "_Do not touch me there-_" she hissed, before noticing her position. "...I... ah...I apologize, that is..."

Achan's hair had fallen away from his right eye, revealing the fact that its iris not only did not match the color of his left one but completely lacked a pupil. When he looked at her, he began to understand as, unbidden, his revealed eye began to take in new details about her. Traces of duel energy here. Aura there. Pathways and spells and more importantly-

"...It's okay. I understand why," he said, and he meant it.

Kastleneid moved back, allowing Achan to stand. "You wished for me to wait? I am afraid that if you are developing a crush on me of some kind, I must inform you that-"

_[The possibilities of this occurring in the near future are distinct,]_ Devi taunted.

Achan resisted the urge to tell his better half where he could stuff his wings if he wanted to talk like that. "Not a crush. Not anything like that. You mentioned you needed to feed tonight, and even if it was to protect another castoff I did interrupt you. So..."

Achan removed his hooded sweatshirt, revealing a plain white T-shirt beneath. Long bandages covered his left arm, though his right arm- now unbound- was completely tattooed over with mysterious and arcane symbols. He reached up, pulling his shirt back from his neck. "Go ahead and feed on me."

Kastleneid blinked. "You are sure? I am newly turned. I focused on feeding on animals to prevent the risk of accidents. Are you quite certain this is what you want?"

"I trust you," Achan said, motioning to his neck.

"We have only just met," Kastleneid reminded him.

"We're both castoffs." Achan smiled at her. "Tools who rebelled against their purpose and found new life. At least... that's what I sense about you. And if we can't trust each other, who can we trust?"

Kastleneid thought it over and nodded. "You are a skilled duelist, but my mothers would call you naive. Even so, I appreciate your kindness." She stepped forward, gripping Achan's shoulders gently. "I apologize for the pain... my friend."

Then she sank her fangs into his neck.

Achan closed his eyes and counted backwards from a hundred twice in the pale moonlight. He was still counting when he passed out on his feet.

"You are awake."

Achan yawned and blinked as he stood up. The sun was not quite up, but it was obvious that night was close to ending. "Mornin'... Kastle?"

Kastleneid sat beside Achan, who she had covered with a blanket while he slept. "You became unconscious while I was feeding," she explained. "I was worried, so I stayed with you tonight to protect you." The six-legged chimera wandered over, nuzzling Achan. "He helped."

"Thanks Kastle. And thank you too, big guy." Achan scratched the chimera on the nose, which resulted in it wagging its meter-long tail with glee.

"I was worried I had taken too much from you," Kastleneid said as Achan pulled himself to his feet and disappeared into his tent, emerging after a few minutes in a fresh shirt and trousers. "That you would not make it. I should have taken you to a hospital, but I panicked..."

"It'll be fine. I'm not that flimsy." As Achan pulled his sweatshirt on once more, he tapped the markings on his right arm. "My body's... it's hard to explain, but it's not really a human one. I still feel pain and walk and talk and look human, but when it comes down to it I'm just a very good imitation. Case in point, no matter how much blood I lose whatever spells animate me will kick in and do the hard work of keeping me alive." He tapped the markings on his arm. "When I passed out it was probably them just temporarily turning my conscious thought off to get to work repairing the damage to my 'system'."

"...Thank goodness." Kastleneid looked at the rising sun. "...it is morning. My mothers will miss me if I stay. I should return home." She gave Achan a small bow. "Thank you for making this evening interesting."

"I could say the same thing to you," Achan replied, holding out a hand to her. "I don't get to meet people my age much, so it's nice to know there's someone around here I can talk to."

"...Likewise." Kastleneid accepted the handshake, and her smile grew again. "I often hunt in this forest. If you would like, I will visit you again. And perhaps sometime, you could visit me as well? I am sure my mothers would be interested in meeting you."

Achan nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good."

"In that case, goodbye until later, Achan Seventh. We will see each other again soon." Kastleneid tensed, and then leaped. In the next instant she was moving from tree to tree with blinding speed.

Achan watched her go, then returned his attention to the chimera, who was still wagging his tail. "You gonna stick with me a while longer, big guy?"

The chimera's response was to pounce on Achan and lick him again.

"Right, so that's a yes. Great, now I need to think of a name..."

-First Encounter: End-

**Deck Profiling!**

**Achan's Deck: **"Just Me and My Friends"

Somewhere in that thin line that separates Billy Deck from toolbox, Achan's frantic mish-mash of cards exists. Achan's duel disk was taken from the ADAM Project, as well as Devil Kuriboh and his support card, but the remainder of her cards are all pulled from various packs intended for Sealed Play. As a net result each of her monsters is individually useful in some way, but there's very little cohesion in the overall aims of her deck. Each turn is made frantic because of the vast array of decisions she has to make, and the odd mix of cards she has to string together to make them. This is complicated further by her lack of an extra deck, which prevents her from even toolboxing into a consistent base of Xyz or Synchro monsters. Achan isn't untalented, however, and as she acquires cards her deck takes on a more and more defined shape. Together with her monsters, she'll aim for the top.

...wait, her? She? What's going on here...?

**Ace Card: **Devil Kuriboh is Achan's ace card and partner for her first deck. Devil Kuriboh can be tutored using a quickplay spell, much like Winged Kuriboh and the garden-variety version, and possesses a more punishing version of Kuriboh's ability. Devil Kuriboh can only halve battle damage from incoming attacks, but used properly it can remove massive chunks of an opponent's life points and place them in a more vulnerable position during their next turn. Since Achan's deck often forces her to bet everything on a single, focused attack, Devil Kuriboh is a central card in her deck as well as being her partner. As a card outside her deck, it's dark-attribute and has several combination plays available as a result. It can be discarded with its effect to set up for Dark Armed Dragon, Dark Nephtys, or The Dark Creator, and it can also be recovered from the graveyard with Dark Eruption. Since it's level one, it can also be returned to the field with Junk Synchron, Limit Reverse, or Graceful Rebirth.

No seriously, what the hell is with these female pronouns?

**Homebrew Card Listing**

**Vagabond Hero, Jill**

EARTH/Warrior/Effect/4*

Atk 1800/Def 1200

During your turn before your battle phase, you can decrease this card's Atk by 500 until your next standby phase. When this card's Atk is lower than its original Atk, once per turn, when it would be destroyed by battle or a card effect you can negate that destruction.

**Tempo Change**

Normal Spell

When the total number of cards in your opponent's hand on on their field is three or more higher than the amount of cards on your field and in your hand (excluding tokens), you can pay 3000 life points to activate this card. During your end phase this turn, draw three cards.

**Time Slip**

Normal Trap

When your opponent summons a monster, you can activate this card. Send one card from your hand to the graveyard and then banish that monster, and if you do, draw a card. The banished monster is returned to the field during your opponent's second standby phase after this card's activation.

**Devil Pipes**

Quickplay Spell

Add 1 "Devil Kuriboh" in your deck to your hand.

**Devil Kuriboh**

DARK/Fiend/Effect/1*

Atk 300/Def 100

When you would receive battle damage, you can discard this card from your hand. Reduce that battle damage to 0, then deal damage to both players equal to half the damage you would have received.

**Rose Veiler**

WIND/Plant/Effect/3*

Atk 1200/Def 0

This card cannot be special summoned. When you summon this card, you can tribute it in order to special summon two level four Plant-type monsters from your hand. Those cards cannot be used for an Xyz or Synchro summon this turn.

**Emissary of Sunflowers**

FIRE/Plant/Effect/4*

Atk 0/Def 2000

During your turn's end phase, you can tribute this face-up monster in order to special summon "Marina, Princess of Sunflowers" from your hand.

**Rose Barrage**

Quickplay Spell

You can activate this card if you have a level seven or higher plant-type monster on your field. Negate the effect of a face-up monster and deal eight hundred life points of damage to that monster's controller.


	2. Chapter 2

_Encounter the Second_

"Past"

Kastleneid approached Achan's camp carefully.

This was the fourth meeting between the two. As much as she loved her new-found family, they kept a close eye on her everywhere but with him- in truth she had visited him as much for a change of pace as she did out of friendship. The second part of that had been growing lately. At first they had only exchanged pleasantries, pick-up duels. Kastleneid closed her eyes as she effortlessly leaped through the treetops, remembering. It was obvious from the pained look Achan gave her sometimes that he was curious about her own past. Kastleneid could not blame him, as interested as she was in his own history.

She vaulted through the air, adding a small flip to her arc as she crossed between two branches with considerable distance between them. Not necessary and certainly not conservation of movement, the way _Moder_ had taught her how to move if it was ever necessary for her to fight. But tonight wasn't life or death. Tonight was her, a new friend, and an evening together- with her friend providing a light meal. After the first night she had been hesitant to feed on him again, but during their second meeting Achan had almost insisted. She had grown better at assessing how much blood it was 'safe' to take from him, and he was as good as his word about easily replenishing what he lost.

A strange sound, something between a hiss and a bark, reached her ears. Aligning herself to the source she pounced.

She was met by the closest thing reptile vocal cords could make to a 'yip' as Rex the guardian chimera leaned up to meet her, hugging her in his six arms and running his forked tongue over her face. "It is nice to see you too, boy." Kastleneid reciprocated his affection by scratching him just below his second arm. Rex released her, 'barking' in ecstasy. She bit back a giggle as the gigantic beast charged towards Achan's campsite, alligator tail wagging with giddy abandon. As much as he would make a loving house pet, the chimera was completely unaware of his own strength- a single swipe from that tail could break the bones of a fragile human.

The camp was much as she remembered it from her last visit. Achan's makeshift tent was slightly askew- he had admitted he wasn't sure how long the central pole was going to hold up for, and that he should have acquired a replacement a long time ago. The junker that passed for his D-Wheel leaned against a nearby tree trunk. She noted with satisfaction that he had begun slowly replacing and repairing rusted out parts of the frame. His fire ring had been built up to a considerable extent, and the wood she had helped him gather was still mostly there, leaving her confident that come what may he would not be cold that night.

The tent flap opened, and Achan stepped out, yawning. "Evening, Kastle. Was just taking a n- oh shit."

Kastleneid stared at Achan's bare torso. She took a step back and averted her eyes, then realized something. "Achan."

Achan's face was red as he struggled to pull on his shirt. "Yeah?"

"...Why do you have no nipples?"

-00000-

Achan had insisted on getting a fire going before the two talked. Despite his golem qualities, Achan still had a sense of touch, and cold might not be lethal for him but it certainly hurt. Kastleneid's body allowed her to shrug it off, but she had agreed to his request anyway. So it was that the two sat around a crackling campfire, Rex's body curled up behind Achan like an oversized puppy's. He scratched the chimera as he began. "So, um... guess you'll want that answer now."

"It would be nice, yes." Kastleneid produced a thermos and poured some steaming liquid from it. "Here. This is Aunt Maria's special home-made cocoa with cayenne. It should warm you up."

Achan accepted the mug, then downed it instantly. "Mm. Really wish I could taste that." He looked into Kastleneid's shocked eyes. "What?"

"...You cannot taste?"

"Well, maybe. A little bit." Achan scratched the back of his head. "But it's like, I know what taste is supposed to be like, and as far as I can tell I don't have it. Everything just sort of tastes like 'food' to me. Cold food, hot food, cold liquid, hot liquid. That kind of thing. Eating it doesn't seem to bother me, I think my support spells just break it down and burn it as energy, but I don't even get hun..." he looked back into her eyes again. "..gry, Kastle why are you looking at me like I'm dying."

"Because I have recently been learning to cook," Kastleneid replied, her voice dripping with pity. "You mean to tell me you have never experienced the joys of eating? There are only six types of flavor taste buds register, but together they form thousands upon thousands of untold combinations. Some are savory, some sweet, some spicy- a chef is an artist who combines these flavors in minute amounts to produce symphonies of taste. To say that you cannot taste is, to me, like saying that you were born deaf-"

"Point taken!" Achan waved her to a stop. "Look, I get it, I really do but just- don't worry about me, alright?" He passed the thermos cap back to Kastleneid. "I just can't miss what I've never had, you know? I mean it's sort of hard to do that. Is there anything you-"

Kastleneid bowed her head slightly as she accepted the thermos cap and screwed it back on. The ice rabbit she had been shaping in her left hand fell to the ground, though not far enough to shatter. "I have never been a child, nor will I ever grow into an 'adult'. I have never had either, and yet if this ache I feel is not 'missing' them, I do not know what is."

Achan bit his lip. "...Me and my big mouth," he muttered, before walking around the fire ring to sit next to her. Rex whined and moved with him, curling up so that the two could lean back against his body. "Alright. As much as I know you deserve to hear the story of Achan and the Missing Nipples of Bizarreness, I think whatever is eating you right now is more important. Talk to me."

Kastleneid kept her head bowed, but managed "I am not sure that 'bizarreness' is in fact a word." She sat in silence, Achan resisting his urge to hug her as well as he could, before she began. Her first words were halting and soft.

Achan flinched. "...C-can you speak up, I couldn't hear-"

" 'Toy, on your knees.' 'No, you bitch, don't use your fucking tongue like that. Worthless piece of junk, why did I ever pay for you?' 'That's it, better, now stand up and take it' 'Isn't this great? She doesn't move no matter how hard you hit her, just try it out!' 'Go on, call me your daddy' 'Harder' 'softer' 'Stay in the garbage where you belong!' 'Make yourself useful for once and please them' 'A king's gifts can be enjoyed wherever' 'don't make a sound'."

The words coming from Kastleneid's mouth were completely foreign. Her accent, her tone, her bearing had changed completely as she had uttered each one. Her shoulders were trembling and her teeth were clenched. "And then he left me in that alleyway to die after, and they were never able to touch him-"

And Achan knew.

A rush of energy burst from his body as he began to tear away the bandages on his arms. "_Where is he? When I find him I'll break him apart piece by piece and-_"

Kastleneid's hand grabbed him and pulled him back to the ground, before she pinned him against Rex's side. She ignored the chimera's whines as she stared him in the eye. "No. You cannot."

"I appreciate your concern but yeah _I think I can take him!"_ Achan squirmed. "You don't need to worry about me getting arrested or something, it'd be worth it to-"

"_You. Can. Not._ He is in a position which makes touching him impossible. If they could have, my mothers would have sent him into a living hell as soon as they could. But he is tied to the fate of an entire realm, and harming him is tantamount to harming them." Kastleneid held Achan in place until he stopped squirming. "...And besides."

Achan looked into Kastleneid's face, and for the first time he saw the tears.

"If it were possible to kill him for what he did to me, do you not think _I would have done so already?_"

Achan stopped struggling. "...Kastle, I'm sorry."

"Your apology is accepted." Kastleneid released him, sitting back down. During the course of the conversation her ice-producing powers had added two small swans and a polar bear to her collection of miniature sculptures. "Please. Let this be the last we speak of this."

Achan knew her well enough to know by now that no matter how level her voice was, Kastleneid was not an emotionless doll. He knew she was still hurting. And so he sighed, and with his own voice lowered, he looked up into the sky. "They never finished me."

"...What?"

"The first six were complete failures to thrive. Their bodies were functional, but they couldn't withstand the spells needed to tie them to the spirits the project had prepared. And so both they and the bound spirits died. I was the first success. I don't know who Devi was before they bound our souls together, but apparently he used to be a lot stronger. He definitely wasn't a Kuriboh spirit back then. The process of joining us took a lot of his power and transferred it to me, and I can barely use it. But even after transferring Devi in, they couldn't complete the key that was going to transform me. I wasn't supposed to just be some kid. They wanted... they wanted a king."

"...Who are 'they'?"

Achan closed his eyes. "I don't remember my creators much- just older guys mostly. I don't remember many women, but I'm sure they had some there, it wasn't a gender-exclusive cult. They called themselves the ADAM Project. I only half-got things but apparently long ago, there was a king who fought against some kind of force that tried to destroy the world, and defeated it. Every so often that king reincarnates. But these guys, they didn't like the current version or they couldn't find him or something. So they decided to make their own. I was attempt number seven. They needed to give me the power of some kind of spirit, see, or I wouldn't be able to 'rule'. So they burned these designs into my skin to seal Devi in my body, and they gave me just enough free will to make me human."

Kastleneid's tears had stopped. Hesitantly, she rubbed Achan's shoulder. "Then how are you here?"

"Devi." He laughed. "Devi didn't like being sealed into a human body any more than I liked being their test subject. So he gave my consciousness... a jump-start, I guess you'd call it. After that we broke out together. They tried to stop us, but they weren't really fighters and I think most of them were afraid of me. After all, I was their 'king', so if I tried to leave them they couldn't stand in my way."

"...So then," Kastleneid continued. "They never finished you?"

"They didn't give me the deck they wanted. Or manage to mold my personality to match the original king's." Achan held out his hands toward the fire, warming them. "They wanted a king, but they wanted a puppet too. They gave me just enough that I would 'feel' human. Emotions and independent thought were necessary, they needed a king who could rule. But they left off a few 'non-essentials'. Taste is one of the big ones. The other is... well." He laughed. "You know, I don't really have a physical sex."

Kastleneid poured herself some of the cocoa she had brought and sipped at it. "...I should have brought a stronger drink, clearly. What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'm not physically male. Or female." Achan shrugged. "If it weren't the height of rudeness or really fucking cold out, either or, I could show you but under the circumstances just take my word for it. No nipples, no navel, and nothing very specific down there. I mean, there's kind of something but... I've looked at what the equipment's supposed to be like. It's not what I've got."

Kastleneid stared at Achan for a long moment. "I am not sure if this counts as 'too much information'."

"You asked about the nipples first," Achan pointed out.

"Fair enough." Kastleneid finished her cocoa, then began work on a new ice sculpture. "Is it... I have never heard of someone in your position."

Achan shrugged. "Eh. It's... weird, I guess. I say I'm a guy, but the truth is I've never really thought much about what gender I am. It's just sort of what I assumed I'm supposed to be. They wanted a 'king', after all." He scratched Rex's side, causing the chimera to half-purr. "I just rolled with that. Devi called me a 'boy' when I was first born too, so that probably did something for it. Maybe I should rethink that at some point."

"It seems we have both had rather complicated lives." Kastleneid turned to Achan and smiled.

"Pfft. Definitely."

The two shared in laughter before Achan looked up into the night sky. "Hey. Night's still young. Wanna get in a duel before you have to eat and run? I picked up a couple of new cards today."

"Out of sheer coincidence... so have I." Kastleneid's eyes sparkled. "Come on then, Achan. I believe the phrase is... let us dance?"

"Heh. Just be careful." Achan's silver shield duel disk appeared on his arm and he inserted his deck. "You're getting better all the time, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!"

"That is likewise from me."

The two stared each other down for a moment, and then the forest echoed with their shout.

"Duel!"

Maria passed her binoculars back to Tsubasa. "They'll be okay for now. I believe we can inform Fayte and Tsuki that the nice young man their daughter has met is probably not a threat to her well being, can't we?"

Tsubasa was staring through the binoculars. "...I really, really, really want to duel that guy."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that." Maria sighed and swatted Tsubasa on the back of his head, causing him to yelp. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance. After all, I think it's about time we invited this friend of Kastleneid's back to her house for a nice, friendly chat, don't you?"

"You make that sound like we're going to interrogate him or something."

Maria giggled. "Oh, _we're_ not. But he will be meeting Kastle's parents."

"...Oh."

_Encounter the Second: END_

**Deck Profiling!**

**Kastleneid's Deck: **Rise Like the Phoenix

There are several decks in the game of Duel Monsters that might seem like obvious choices for an ice-using magical construct turned vampire to use. Kastleneid, however, uses none of them. Her plant-focused deck revolves around the powerful level eight "Princess" monsters, with a special emphasis on the fire-attribute Marina, Princess of Sunflowers. She is still an inexperienced duelist, but her sparring with Achan has improved her quite a great deal, and her deck is powerful from the outset. It is also a gift from her mothers and the rest of the Backwater team, which makes it extremely important to her. The deck's main objective is to fill the field with powerful plant-type monsters quickly, made possible through cards like Miracle Fertilizer and Lonefire Blossom. Due to the high number of level eight monsters in her deck, Kastleneid also runs a full three copies of Trade-In in order to accelerate through it and set her graveyard up.

**Ace Card:** Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis may not be as powerful as the rest of Kastleneid's level eight monsters, but it serves two important roles in her deck- first by reviving itself from the graveyard, it can keep her field from ever being emptied out and always ensure she has access to powerful monster. Second, it sets up a combination play with Marina, Princess of Sunflowers. When Amaryllis is destroyed by its own effect, Marina will immediately destroy another card on the , leading to a feedback loop of revival and destruction which very few decks can withstand once it begins. Kastleneid's inexperience caused her to overlook this combo originally, but as she's improved she's become far more used to it- and to her deck. Where will it go in the future?


	3. Chapter 3

_Encounter 3_

"Stage"

"I'm really not sure I'm ready for this."

Achan fumbled nervously as he tried to brush out the creases in his sweatshirt. "I don't even have the cash right now to get new clothes, and I had to wash myself in a river, and Rex licked me when I got out so I smell like giant, uh... dog... lizard... bear...thingy breath-"

"Achan. Please remain calm," Kastleneid pulled Achan's frantic arms away from his shirt, giving him a reproving look. "We are visiting my parents. I assure you they do not eat people." She paused. "Anymore."

"Kastle, have I ever told you that being reassuring is among your best qualities?" Achan groaned.

"You have not."

Achan looked into his best friend's eyes and shook his head slowly. "...It is so hard to tell if you're serious when you do things like that."

"It is a gift."

With that elegant remark, Kastleneid reached out and knocked on the mansion's door. Achan scooted back a step, still fretting. "Dear god why did I ever agree to this there's no way it could turn out-"

The door was, without warning, kicked straight open. "THERE you are, been waiting forever!"

Achan blinked as he stared into the eyes of an eager young man, maybe ten years or so older than him, who was outfitted with a well-cared-for duel disk. "I've been waiting for you since Kastleneid first told us about you. We have to duel. Like, right now. No, not right now. Yesterday!"

A voice floated up from the depths of Achan's mind. _[Hmph... such an energetic boy. He's disturbed my nap with his dueling spirit.]_

Kastleneid glared at the man in the doorway reprovingly. "Uncle Tsubasa, you promised you would wait to challenge Achan until after he met my parents and attended the show with us."

"I know, but I can't help it! That duel of yours got me so fired up I could help myself!" Tsubasa protested. Kastleneid's response was to continue glaring. "...Fiiiine. Come on inside, we can always duel later."

Achan began to smile. "Okay. I take it back Kastle. You were right, this evening's going to be awesome."

"You are not bothered by that greeting? How strange. Most of the others seem to be slightly annoyed when Uncle Tsubasa gets like this." Kastleneid giggled. "Are you as eager as he is?"

"You can tell his passion for duel monsters just by looking at him." Achan smiled, reaching for his own deck and fanning it out. "These guys jumped when he said he wanted to duel."

"You can tell what your deck says?"

"It's a gift," Achan retorted as he and Kastleneid stepped over the threshold-

-and were promptly met by Tsubasa once again. "Oh right, almost forgot. I'm on stupid _patrol_ tonight," Tsubasa complained, rolling his eyes. "And that might take a while. So I don't think we'll get to duel today buuuuut... here. Wanted you to have this." With that he produced a silver briefcase and held it out to Achan.

"What is-"

"It is a present," Kastleneid explained. "When I told Uncle Tsubasa about your deck, he mentioned having a number of cards he has not yet been able to use. Most of them are common enough that he has more copies than he can play. You are welcome to them."

Achan's face lit up . "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Take whatever you want." Tsubasa grinned. "I haven't used them in a long time, it's probably better someone plays them, right? After all, cards-"

"Really want to be played with," Achan finished his sentence. "Wow, you get it. You get it completely."

"Heh. It's a gift." Tsubasa flashed a smarmy grin.

"I'm getting that a lot lately," Achan deadpanned as he opened the briefcase- and then he gasped. "W- all this-"

A voice called out from the kitchen. "Tsubasa! Get your ass in here, it's your turn to clean up the dinner dishes and Hebi-Na isn't here to bail you out of it this time!"

"Oh come on, Maria, that wasn't my fault and you know it! She was insistent-"

"They were in the sink for over three hours. You are going to come in here and clean them or I am going to go out there and make you!"

Tsubasa gulped. "...uh, right. Anyway just take anything in there you want, it's yours." With that he had disappeared into the kitchen, prepared to face the monumental task of clean-up.

Achan was still staring mutely at the mass of cards. Kastleneid nudged him. "Are you alright? I had thought this gift would be-"

"It's too much," Achan said, overcome with emotion. "These cards- he's taken such good care of them- oh my god, I've never seen this before. He's loved every single one of these cards equally! All of them feel completely content- and these are the ones he can't _play!_" His voice was almost giddy. "I've seen all kinds of duelists but this is the first time I've seen one who loves his monsters this much. He's so... so cool..." His voice trailed off into a dreamy sigh.

Kastleneid waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "Achan. You are drooling."

"Don't even care. Might be falling in love. Don't judge me."

"Achan. He is dating an Ophidia High Priestess who, as Mama puts it, 'deeply cares about him to the point of murder on his behalf if necessary'."

"I am _dreaming_, let me keep going." Achan sighed as he began to search through the cards. "...Huh. There we go."

"Only eight?" Kastleneid asked in surprise as Achan began swapping cards from the case and his deck around.

"For now. I can change it later- in fact, I will. I want to play everything in here. But these eight... they feel right. Like they belong with me." Achan closed the briefcase carefully, and replaced his deck in its box. "Kastle, thanks. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"There you are."

Achan felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as he turned around slowly. Standing behind him were two of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, dressed in evening wear. In the case of one of them, very distracting and slinky evening wear in the form of a slinky, black dress with just enough of a cut along the legs that it invited an onlooker to slowly move their eyes across her body, drinking it in a bit at a time from the ground up. The opposite woman, who was smirking, had come attired in a suit and gloves.

"Mama! _Moder!_" Kastleneid grinned. "I convinced him to come along."

"So _you're_ the young man who's corrupting our pure daughter and keeping her out at all hours of the night." Tsuki stepped forward, looking deep into Achan's eyes as her demon's tail swished behind her. "You know, as good parents we should probably make sure you understand that we will end you if you harm a hair on our daughter's head."

Achan gulped and stepped back, only to bump into Fayte. "How did you-"

"I completely agree _cherie_," Fayte replied, ignoring Achan's question entirely. "We really should make sure he understands that we'll... _eat him alive_ if he tries anything funny."

Kastleneid frowned. "...You two are being horrible to my friend."

Achan raised up his hands defensively, this time almost backing into Kastleneid as he moved away. "Uh... I'm... kinda... help?"

Tsuki and Fayte shared a look, and then burst out laughing. "After all these years," Tsuki managed through her chuckles, "we finally got a chance to play concerned parents. I'm so happy!"

Kastleneid and Achan stared at the two of them, then turned to look at each other.

"Your parents are certifiably insane," Achan deadpanned.

"I am forced to concur," Kastleneid replied.

-00000-

Achan's reaction to the Toybox Theater could be summed up in a single word. "Wow."

The seats in the theater had been designed to accommodate more than humans. Perches lined the ceiling, and were filled by several clockwork birds- including a regal, bronze eagle. In addition to the rows of human-size seats, one half of the theater had far smaller ones for Shadowkind of less-than-human stature, or Never-Born not currently needed on stage for a particular show. The stage itself had smaller steps than average, the sets were lavish but scaled down to match the smaller performers, and everything had been hand-crafted from fine woods. Near the stage a group of various clockwork toys and stuffed animals had begun to warm up with their scaled instruments, preparing to play the overture of the night's performance.

"Don't just stand there, boy. You have front row seats, hurry down to them." Fayte nudged Achan in the back.

"Uh, right. Thanks Mrs. Kastleneid's mom-"

"Fayte." Fayte's eyes blazed with a curious intensity and she smiled enough to reveal a white fang. "Please."

Achan gulped, and Kastleneid grabbed his arm, tugging him to the front while shooting a dirty look at her mother. "Do not worry," she whispered as they moved. "They are sitting two rows back. They will probably not do more than watch from this point on."

"That's part of what I'm afraid of," Achan grumbled, but he took his seat anyway.

_[I do not understand why you are worried. I could easily create a barrier meant to repel beings from hell or vampires- their weaknesses are quite specific. Why are you so afraid of those two?]_ Devi's voice inquired from the depths of Achan's mind.

Achan closed his eyes as he replied within his mind. [It's not that I'm afraid of them killing me... okay maybe a little, but come on, don't be too hard on me. It's their approval I'm worried about. If they really do suspect me, they could really put an end to this friendship. And... aside from you and the rest of my cards, I've never had a real friend.]

[_Touching sentiments, though your concern is still unnecessary. Good evening, however. I require more sleep. On the off chance they do attempt to 'eat you alive', you know where to find me.]_

Achan opened his eyes and grinned. Kastleneid was staring at him. "What were you doing just now?"

"A friend called. I had to tell him that I can't take calls during a show," Achan explained, shrugging.

"Your previous diagnosis of my parents may well apply to you, Achan. I assume in context your remark there might make more sense, but-"

The lights dimmed and the orchestra launched into the overture.

The show itself was bombastic and larger than life. The first scene opened on a play within a play, and by the time the lead character was revealed to be a stuffed elephant playing a swashbuckling poet Achan and Kastleneid were too wrapped up in the magic of the Never-born's performance to care. The cast delivered their lines with perfect inflection as Don Remy stole the stage as the corrupt Duke, insistent on making the pure and beautiful object of love of the main character into his lover by any means possible.

Fayte and Tsuki, from their seats further in the back, looked down on the scene before them. "I never knew parenting could be this much fun," Tsuki whispered to her wife as she watched her child and Achan break into laughter while Theodore the elephant berated another character for making fun of his nose. "I'm glad she's finally found a friend... it would have been fun with the three of us, but after the way we found her it's nice to see her trusting someone outside the family."

"He may not be outside for long, _cherie_," Fayte noted as she allowed Tsuki's head to rest against her shoulder. "He's been camping in that forest alone, and he's got some sort of strange ability. If we can convince him to trust us, it would probably be better to move him into the mans- ah, here we are, the dueling scene. It will be interesting to see this in English."

"You've seen this one before?"

"The first performance in France." Fayte smiled. "This play is quite ridiculous... but it's beautiful. I am surprised though. Usually by this point the beautiful maiden has entered. They've kept her a secret for some reason. Who did they cast, Emilia the sheep?"

Tsuki opened her playbook. "...No. It says here it's someone named 'Rosa'. I don't remember her from previous performances- must be a new actress."

A voice hissed at the two. "Quiet in front!"

Both vampire and succubus giggled and quieted down, content to watch the play.

-000000000000-

Backstage, a doll sat waiting in her dressing room. Her long, brown hair- made from the finest material- flowed down in elegant ruffles and curls until it reached her back. Her dress was cut from the finest of green cloth and covered her body perfectly, disguising her china joints. While her eyes were glass, the light of life shone within them with such vigor it was easy to forget. The glaze on her skin was so expertly applied that it was easy to mistake her for a miniature human instead of an animate china toy.

"Useless... it's all useless."

She stood and paced across the room, snapping her fingers. Two teddy bear attendants, fully a head shorter than her, stood to attention from their slumped-over positions. "You two. Please attend to the business of sealing the doors." She handed each one a sheet of paper with strange, archaic handwriting on it spelling out disjointed German phrases. Both bears bowed, then exited the room to accomplish their task.

The doll walked to the room's dresser and opened the top drawer, removing the object inside it. "Tonight, my Father, I will finally be complete. Meeting this card must have been your will. Let your spirit watch over and guide me. I will become the daughter you truly desired."

In the light of the dressing room, the gold lettering of Princess Cologne winked.

Theodore the Elephant was too well-disciplined to break character while on stage. But it was obvious from even the audience's perspective that he was ad-libbing dialogue at this point. It was several lines into the next scene of the play, and the promised meeting of the poet and his maiden was finally about to take place and she had not materialized yet. The crowd began to murmur as the minutes dragged on.

Achan had removed his deck from its holder and was shuffling through the contents. "...I take it the play isn't supposed to work like this."

"I have never seen this particular show before. It is my first play. However, I would make that same assumption." Kastleneid sniffed the air. "Something is wrong. This place is saturated with magic."

Achan shrugged. "We have animated stuffed animals everywhere."

"This is true. However I sense something not originally present- I cannot explain this. It is like an itch on the back of my neck, a pricking of my fingers. Something has changed." Kastleneid's eyes narrowed as she swept the room.

Fayte and Tsuki were already quietly making their way to the back of the theater. "I don't know why," Tsuki murmured, "but this is giving me the chills. It feels like the magic's compressing somehow."

"Then we shall simply have to find the source and deal with it." Fayte's smile revealed her fangs. "I am quite certain whatever we find will not enjoy what I have planned for it."

It was at that moment that a black teddy bear with button eyes and a red scarf slipped through the theater door and pinned a sheet of paper to it. Fayte raised an eyebrow. "What-"

It was at that point that the page exploded with magic.

Wild roses, rowan branches, wisteria, ivy, yew, cedar- branches crashed through the ground, completely swallowing the theater door and all potential exits past the stage. Fayte hissed in pain, staggering back from the door as one of the plants touched her skin. "_Mordioux. _These are sacred!"

Tsuki reached out, and her face twisted. "...So much for Errestrial's protection extending to _other_ holy symbols. Where did all this come from?"

The theater lights flickered back on, quelling the panicked audience. In the silence, small steps rang out. The beautiful doll who stood before the audience curtsied, first to them and then to the other players, as she was joined by her button-eyed attendants. "I am pleased to meet all of you tonight. I am Rosa. I apologize for interrupting tonight's performance."

"Damn straight you do!" Don Remy's voice rang out as the teddy bear threw off his plumed hat, revealing the fedora beneath it. Reaching behind his back, he opened a zipper and produced a small handgun- a derringer for a normal-sized person, a quite sizable piece for a stuffed animal. "What are you thinkin', tryin' to trap us all in here like this? You out of your mind?"

Rosa sniffed and reached into her dress, removing a faded scrap of paper with the same German script. "A lady does not appreciate interruptions. Set into bloom, _Black Forest._"

The paper burst in her hands, and Remy and the other actors leaped from the stage as a wall of strangling ivy burst from it. Kastleneid leaped forward as the vines snaked out toward the never-born, holding her hands outward as a burst of frigid air froze each one in their tracks.

Achan sat in his seat, seemingly numb, as he began to slowly undo the bandages on his arms.

Fayte cursed as she evaded a branch of rowan that snaked away from the door, a hedge growing around her and Tsuki. "How the hell did she know to isolate us?"

Tsuki's wings flapped as a burst of light emerged from her body, forcing the growth outward and away from her. "I'm not sure, but I'm beginning to understand the structure of the spell- we encountered something like it when I was stationed in Germany. I can come up with a countermeasure if I just have- Kastleneid!" She shouted across the room. "Be careful!"

"I was built by my loving Father years ago, to be the daughter he never had- but it was impossible for a doll with an incomplete soul to ever become human." Rosa's fists trembled with rage. "Tonight, I must ask you all forgive me. It is the duty of a doll to carry out their creator's will. I will complete my soul by devouring the spark that animates the rest of you- starting with you two." She turned her gaze onto her two attendants, who simply nodded mutely as the vines wrapped around their bodies and began to crush them.

Kastleneid lifted her arms to freeze the vines again, but a blur shot past her and landed on the stage. "_Like hell you're going to!"_

Twin red halos of light wrapped around the stems of both crushing vines, freezing them in place. Rosa raised her head away from her victims to glare at Achan. "You _dare_ to invade my stage? It is at the height of indecency to interrupt a final performance!"

Achan had discarded his hooded shirt and bandages, revealing both his threadbare t-shirt and the designs which ran along each arm, the characters inscribed on his body glowing with energy. Reaching up, he swept his hair away from his right eye and revealed it. The stage lights seemed to focus in on him as the pupil-less eye began to gleam with a deep blue light. "I don't know plays very well, but from what I understand you're not supposed to perform alone. Devi, let's go!"

_[Hmph. I never seem to get proper rest these days,]_ the spirit complained as he stretched out his tiny body within Achan's soul. _[Very well. Let us begin, partner.]_ He spread his wings as dark energy began to gather around him. _[Very well. I will handle the spell calculations for a while.]_

The wave of pure pressure that exploded from his body sent the Never-Born and audience members still near the stage stumbling backwards. Rosa remained unmoved, though she was forced to bring an arm up to cover her face.

Kastleneid seized her chance, her own eyes glowing with unearthly light as she focused her ice on everything she could within range. The mass of plants blocking the exits froze until they were brittle and shattered to pieces. "Hurry and run. We will hold her."

The audience and players needed no other encouragement, scurrying from the room. Rosa screamed in rage and motioned for her remaining vines to attack, only for Achan to close his eyes and concentrate. "Lock!"

_[Seal type Triskelion barrier rating 90% success rate against magics of this type, increased percentage to endless nine under ideal conditions, checking variables initializing actualizing seal complete]_

Three jagged, red lines drew themselves through the air and slammed into the vines, which completely stopped their motion.

Rosa's beautiful face twisted into an expression of fury. "_This was my last chance! How dare you!_"

Kastleneid turned her attention away from her current task of freezing the wall that bound her parents. "Achan. Do not let her catch you off guard."

Rosa reached into her sleeve and with a flourish produced a duel monsters card, holding it above her head. "This card carries father's will! It made using that magic possible- and if you deny me the chance to complete myself, I will offer you to it instead."

Achan stared at the card and tilted his head to the side. _Devi, that thing is brimming over with dark power, but..._

_[I concur. There is something strange here.]_

The wave of darkness that emerged from the card began to engulf the stage just as Kastleneid's ice shattered the prison holding Fayte and Tsuki. Just as the trio were about to rush to the stage, Achan's voice rang out. "Stay back! I can handle this!"

"This is Shadowchasers business, boy," Fayte growled. "This is no time to be playing hero."

"Screw that!" Achan glared into the eyes of his opponent. "I don't know that much about Shadowchasers or whatever, but I know this much." The darkness began to wash over him just as his right eye began to glow. "The only way to purify the darkness within the heart of that card is through a duel!"

"I see." Kastleneid grimaced and grabbed Fayte's hand. "_Moder_, from here on out we cannot interfere. He is nullifying that card's power by twisting it into a shadow game instead."

Fayte stepped back, muttered another "_Mordioux!"_ under her breath and took a seat. "He's only a boy. He has no business throwing himself into danger like that."

"You want to fight against me where this card's power is strongest?" Rosa laughed, her voice full of derision. "Very well then." Raising Princess Cologne, she snapped her fingers. Her vines burst from the ground and twisted until they formed a proper table to play on.

Achan reached out, a shattering noise echoing as he released the seal containing his shield disk. It whirled into place, each panel snapping together. "Heh. I'm strongest here too. Anytime you're ready!"

There was a short pause, and then both players shouted. "Duel!"

Tsuki sighed, taking a seat. "We won't be able to interfere while they're surrounded by that energy, so all we can do is wait and deal with that doll once it's over." Fayte, still grumbling and muttering an occasional "_merde!"_ under her breath sat down as well.

Kastleneid took a seat between her parents. "He is a strong duelist. I am sure he will win."

"...Your hand is shaking," Tsuki said gently as she wrapped an arm around Kastleneid's shoulder.

"He will be okay," Kastleneid repeated. "Even if I am the only one I have ever seen him duel, he will be okay."

"Making my daughter worry. I'm going to kill him after this," Fayte muttered under her breath.

Oblivious to the dialogue taking place in the audience, Rosa drew a card from her deck. "I'm afraid that if you want to challenge me, you'll have to submit to 'ladies first'," she said. Placing three cards on the table in front of her, she continued. "I set one monster, and two face-down cards. My turn is over."

"That many defenses, huh?" Achan mused. "Draw. And I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard to the field." An elven warrior clad in green and brown materialized in front of Achan, drawing a two-handed broadsword and grimacing. (1400/1200) "Celtic Guard, attack that face-down monster," Achan ordered, a slight expression of concern crossing his face. "_Rune Blade!_" The elf-warrior obeyed his command, leaping through the air and bringing down his blade with gusto. Rosa only let out a slight 'hmph' as her card was bisected, the image of a bug-eyed stuffed dog split in two lingering in the air for a moment before exploding.

"That card you destroyed with your impulsive attack was Zombowwow," Rosa explained as she fanned out her deck. "And when it is destroyed, I am able to search my deck for a monster with zero attack points and special summon it. It has its effects negated, and will be destroyed during my next end phase. I will summon this card." In a burst of light a small toy chest, painted red and gold, appeared in front of the living doll. (0/0)

"Box of Friends?" Achan asked, examining the card. "...Oh. Damn, so that's your plan."

"What does he mean?" Kastleneid asked, turning to Fayte. "I have never seen that card before."

"Box of Friends doesn't look like it," Fayte explained, her expression still grim, "but it's an incredibly powerful card in the right hands. It looks like your friend just realized how much trouble he's gotten himself into."

"What is wrong, interloper? Surely you aren't scared of a box of child's toys?" Rosa taunted.

"Hardly." Achan slipped two cards into his duel disk. "Before I end my turn, I'm going to set one card face-down and equip Celtic Guard with Fighting Spirit. And by that card's effect, I can increase his attack points by three hundred for every monster on your field." A blue and white aura of energy surrounded Achan's warrior as he shifted his body to better intercept an incoming attack. (1400 + 300 = 1700 Atk) "And then my turn is-"

"During your end phase, quick-play spell." Rosa smirked. "Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy your set card!" A rush of wind blasted across the field, carrying away Achan's set and spinning it into the air for a few moments before it was torn to pieces. "Oooh... Time Slip? Interesting. That card could have made my life quite difficult. It is quite unfortunate for you that you won't be able to use it."

"Strange..." Tsuki murmured.

"Now that you're quite finished, my turn will proceed." Rosa's eyes sparkled. "I draw. Box of Friends would be destroyed during my end phase normally- but fortunately, my remaining set card is the perfect way to demonstrate the power of Father's legacy. Trap card, Generation Shift!"

"Well. Shit," was all Achan could manage.

"That card does... what exactly?" Kastleneid asked, still somewhat confused.

"Generation Shift lets the user destroy a face-up monster they control to add a copy of that same card from their deck to their hand," Fayte explained.

"That does not seem particularly useful."

"It isn't. Unless your target is a card that benefits from being destroyed by effects," Tsuki confirmed.

As the toy chest on Rosa's field shattered, two small objects fell from it- a red and blue doll, both shaped like knights. "When Box of Friends is destroyed and sent to my graveyard, I am able to special summon two normal monsters from my deck provided they have zero attack points or zero defense points. And I can think of no better targets than these two. Come, my noble knights: Gem Knight Garnet! Gem Knight Sapphire!"

Both of the toys left behind by Box of Friends glowed with a pale light, and then leaped to their feet. Walls of flame engulfed one while the other was wrapped in a spray of water. The monsters who emerged gleamed like the gems they were named for, striking a pose as they stood in defense of Rosa. (1900/0) (0/2100)

"Good play. But if you're counting on beating me down, you've got another thing coming. Not only is Celtic Guard able to avoid destruction by battle if the opponent's monster has 1900 Atk or more," Achan grinned as he continued, "Fighting Spirit's effect gives him an extra three hundred attack points when the number of monsters on your field increased!" (1700 + 300 = 2000 Atk)

Fayte groaned as she buried her face in the palm of her hand. "_Pocapdedioux._ Does he not realize what her goal is?"

Rosa shook her head. "These cards were gifts from my father, given to me so I could protect myself from this cruel world I was born into. He trusted me to do whatever was necessary to become the daughter he desired. And now these monsters will be used to summon the card that contained the true power he entrusted me with. I construct an overlay network with my two Gem-Knights!"

At Rosa's command, a vortex opened beneath her feet and her monsters descended into it, their bodies transforming into light as they did so. "Rise up and take your throne. My avatar- Princess Cologne!"

The monster who rose up from the vortex hardly fit the image of a dark card. The young girl was much like Rosa- a doll figure almost indistinguishable from a young girl. Her blonde hair and blue party dress were the only points which didn't match Rosa in appearance. As soon as she was summoned Cologne curtsied politely to Achan's Celtic Guard, who grunted in grudging approval. (500/2200)

"Cologne's effect activates. When she is summoned, I can special summon a Box of Friends from my graveyard." As Rosa spoke, Cologne turned her back to Achan- and when she turned around, she carried the same red-and-gold toy chest that had occupied the field earlier. (0/0). "In addition, I will be setting one monster and two cards." Rosa smiled beatifically at Achan. "Now what will you do about that?"

Celtic Guard grunted at the arrival of a new monster on Rosa's field, his attack points rising again. (2000 + 300 = 2300)

"This is bad." Tsuki examined the field. "That set monster-"

"It is the Box of Friends she searched for when she used Generation Shift," Kastleneid finished. "I believe I am beginning to understand her plan."

"It only gets worse from there." Fayte shook her head. "If I remember Princess Cologne's effect correctly..."

"Let me see." Achan closed his eyes, searching his memory. "Princess Cologne can't be targeted for an attack or card effect as long as you control at least one other monster. So no matter what I do, if I battle I'm going to have to attack Box of Friends." He chuckled. "I have to admit, you're a pretty genius duelist. Even if I wish it wasn't during a fight for my life, I'm honored to face you."

Rosa and Cologne curtsied in unison. "Hmph. For an interloper, you have surprisingly good manners," Rosa admitted. She frowned, for the first time showing regret. "...In a way, I am sorry I have to do this to you."

"Have to do what?" Achan lowered his hand for a moment and sat down, bringing himself to eye level with Rosa. "You mentioned wanting to carry on Father's will, but you never said what that was or why you needed all those souls. Want to talk about it?"

Tsuki blinked. "...He couldn't be."

Rosa pondered things for a moment, then nodded at last. "Very well. I suppose it could not hurt to tell you. Consider it a last courtesy." She closed her eyes and began reciting. "...Long ago, there was a doll maker who had a young daughter. His wife had died during her birth but he loved her more than anything and treated her like a princess. She was his life."

Achan nodded. "Go on," he encouraged her.

"This daughter fell ill one day and died. Her poor father went mad with grief, searching for a way to restore his lost daughter. He remained a doll maker however- each day he practiced his art, building doll after doll in the hopes that when his daughter was restored he could greet her with a masterwork worthy of her perfection. But the doll maker was sick too, and wasting away. Even as he grew more and more skilled, his body grew weaker and weaker as he fought to cheat death. Finally, at the end, he believed he had found a way."

"You were born then?" Achan asked, still relaxed.

"Yes." Rosa bowed her head. "I was."

"Your father wanted a replacement daughter, so he found a way to breath a soul into a doll's body- not just any doll's. You were his masterpiece, a work so perfect that even if you did not have a soul you would be recognized by anyone as a priceless figure," Achan guessed. "I kinda relate, believe it or not."

"...I am not sure how a human ever could," Rosa sniffed. She continued anyway. "My Father succeeded in giving me life. But no matter how hard he tried, my soul was always incomplete. I was never the 'daughter' he wanted, and even if I had obtained a complete soul, I am nothing but a doll made from china. I could have never grown up and taken care of him or followed the dreams he had for his true child. And so father fell into despair and died. But his spirit lives on." Her eyes closed and she clasped her hands together, as if in prayer. "He guides me every day, moving me closer to becoming what he truly wished for. And recently, when I was looking at this card, I realized it- the only way to become that daughter is to absorb the incomplete souls of the other dolls here, and use them to make my own. Then my Father's work will be completed, and he can rest in peace. That is my _raison d'etre._" She stared Achan down. "Do you understand why you cannot hope to win now?"

Tsuki continued to stare at the battlefield. "He's interesting."

"You mean besides being an impetuous child who rushes into danger?" Fayte quipped.

"That's also true, but just then he was able to connect with someone through dueling and get them to open their heart in a life or death situation." Tsuki smiled. "I should convert him. He'd make a good worshiper of Errestrial."

"Hmph. You always see the good in people." In spite of herself, Fayte snuggled up to her wife. "Though that's why I love you so much."

"That and the sex?"

"Well-"

Kastleneid coughed. "I admit that despite not being your biological child, this conversation has grown beyond awkward."

During the interlude, Achan's eyes had been closed. At last, he stood up again. "Rosa, I understand what you mean. It's really hard when you're not complete, isn't it? You wander around and you don't know what to do if you can't fill your original purpose. What you're worth if you can't live up to your role."

"You do realize it then." Rosa's expression was one of genuine surprise. "How could a human like you understand this?"

"I'm not human." Achan opened his eyes, his right one glowing once more. "But you're wrong about one thing, Rosa. It isn't a doll's responsibility to live up to their creator's will. From the moment you were brought to life, it's always been up to you to decide what you wanted and how to seize it. Your father hasn't been the one guiding you. The darkness that's swallowed your deck is telling you to do this."

"Liar!" Rosa's voice cracked as she shrank back from Achan. "Liar! Liar! Father wanted this! Father wanted me to be his real daughter! I must follow his wishes, I must change myself or I will be an incomplete, meaningless piece of trash forever-"

"You're not trash!" Achan's voice rang out. "If you don't believe me, just ask your cards!"

"My cards?" Rose stared at her deck, then the cards on your field. "What do you mean?"

"I sensed it the moment we began to play." Achan smiled. "Those cards don't care if you're complete or incomplete. All of them love you. Especially that one." he pointed at Princess Cologne, who nodded her head in gratitude.

"The dark card?" Fayte was incredulous. "That one cares about her?"

"No. I understand." Kastleneid spoke up. "That cannot be the dark card. Rosa admitted it herself."

Fayte blinked. "...You're a quick learner." She settled back into her seat. "How can you tell, though?"

"Rosa said that her Father gave her these cards. But her father is long dead, which means if this deck was something he 'trusted' her with, these cards have been with her for some time. But this is the first time this dark power has manifested, I would assume. Meaning-"

"Meaning that card can't be dark one," Tsuki finished. "The only thing I don't understand is how Achan knew that."

Achan smiled at Rosa as she contemplated her card. "You know, there's actually one other thing you were wrong about."

His opponent straightened up, meeting his gaze again. "And that would be?"

"I can definitely win this duel. My turn, draw!" Achan glanced at his latest card and grinned. "I activate the spell card Hidden Armory! I send the top card of my deck to the graveyard in order to an add an equip spell from my deck to my hand. In exchange, I can't normal summon a monster this turn." Achan's duel disk whirred to life, engaging the auto shuffler. "I'm adding this card to my hand, and then equipping it to Obnoxious Celtic Guard. Big Bang Shot!"

Kastleneid said nothing, but pumped her fist once in triumph.

"Big Bang Shot raises the attack points of the equipped monster by four hundred. And when it battles a defense-position monster, it inflicts piercing damage," Achan explained. Celtic Guard's sword began to shimmer with an unearthly light, and his grimace softened into an expression of cold determination. (2300 + 400 = 2700 Atk)

"You're not planning to-" Rosa began, incredulous.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guard will attack your set monster with _Rune Blade!_" Achan confirmed. The grim-faced warrior leaped into the air at Achan's command, bringing his blade down with a stunning overhand slash. The set Box of Friends broke into pieces, dropping two knight-like figures as before. "And since Big Bang Shot dealt piercing damage-"

"Quickplay spell, Normalize!" One of Rosa's sets flipped up. "This negates the effect of a monster I control, but allows me to treat it as a normal monster this turn! Furthermore, it gains one thousand attack points!"

"Why would she do that?" Kastleneid muttered. "It does not seem to make logical sense, her monster was in defense position."

Rosa staggered backward, her life points falling. "I didn't expect you to land a hit at all in this duel," she admitted. (8000 – 2700 = 5300 LP) "However, your stand was futile. I activate the effect of Box of Friends from the graveyard, special summoning Gem-Knights Sapphire and Garnet from my deck once again." With the same bursts of flame and ice as their first summoning, the twin knights appeared in front of Rosa once more. "However... this time, you will see the true power of my Father's deck."

"This is bad." Fayte clicked her tongue in frustration. "Not only did he allow his opponent to amass this many monsters, but if I remember that card's effect correctly..."

"Since a normal monster I control was destroyed, Princess Cologne's monster effect will also activate!" Rosa raised her hand into the air as one of the twin spheres of light that represented Cologne's overlay units rose into the air. "By detaching one Overlay unit, I can special summon a normal monster from my deck in defense position. The monster I choose will be this card." Rosa held up the yellow-bordered monster for Achan to see.

Achan's expression, to her surprise, was still supremely confident. "...Found it."

Frustration crossed Rosa's face. "You clearly don't understand your position!"

"Nah. I understand it way better now." Achan smiled back at her, fearlessly. "It's been tough living with this weight on your shoulders, right?"

"That doesn't concern you! Father's will is Father's will!"

"And what about your will?" Achan asked, still smiling. "You could end this duel right here if you wanted, Rosa. You don't need to keep fighting."

Rosa's expression softened for a moment. "...I have never once considered abandoning Father. Why do you tempt me with that now?"

"Because any father who asked his daughter to do this is an asshole who deserved to die alone," Achan said, his voice harsh.

Kastleneid's eyes shone as she followed the duel. "He is always so gentle when he duels," she noted.

Tsuki was smiling in spite of herself. "His back's against the wall, but he's reaching out to her anyway. Your friend has an exceptionally gentle heart."

"I'm still going to wring his neck when this is over," Fayte muttered half-heartedly.

"Father... I never understood... why-" Rosa's hand slowly reached for her deck. "I am not ready to abandon him, but perhaps I could reconsider these cruel methods."

A voice rang out in Achan's mind just as he relaxed. _**Don't be foolish, child. You have come too far to be forgiven so easily. The only way to make your father happy now is to destroy, or else be destroyed.**_

"Y-yes. I'm sorry Father, I had forgotten." Rosa raised her card above her head once more. "The monster I will summon with Princess Cologne's effect is Cosmo Queen, in defense position!"

The monster Rosa had summoned rose up beside Cologne, her expression impassive. Her robes fell around her as she glared down at Achan's Celtic Guard, and the golden headdress she wore crackled with energy, as if a magical storm had begun gathering around it. (2900/2450)

Achan hadn't paid any attention to the new card at all, instead studying Princess Cologne's expression. "Poor kid."

Cologne had closed her eyes, and when she opened them once more an expression of outright malice overtook her.

"It is still your turn, I suppose." Rosa glared at Achan. "Do you have any last words before I wipe you off the face of the earth?"

"Yeah. It's not over yet." Achan's hand had dwindled over the course of the duel, but enough cards remained in it for him to set two. "I've finally found where the darkness that's eating away your heart is coming from- and how it reached in so easily."

"And what do you intend to do about it? Defeat me?" Rosa challenged. "Useless, useless, absolutely useless! It is my turn, and I draw!" Barely acknowledging the identity of her new card, Rosa pointed to her two Gem-knights. "I construct an Overlay Network using my monsters once more. Blaze with power, keeper of the Emerald light!" As the two Gem-Knights rose into the air they transformed into spheres of light, diving once more into the nexus Rosa had opened. "Shine, Daigusto Emeral!"

In the place of Garnet and Sapphire, a new knight had arisen- this one clad in armor that, true to its name, shone like a well-cut emerald. Twin wings rose from his back, allowing him to soar into the air before striking his own battle pose, twin shields on his arms reflecting the light of his armor. (1800/800)

"That idiot." Fayte buried her face in both of her hands. "He shouldn't have baited her. If she's got that monster he's in a world of hurt."

"I am afraid it is most likely worse than that, _Moder,_" Kastleneid noted. "She did not use that set card to respond to Achan's attack last turn and it was set while she controlled Box of Friends. Meaning it is quite possibly-"

"Trap card, Generation Shift!" Rosa's set card lifted, and her remaining Box of Friends was consumed by a sudden explosion. "I will destroy my card and add my last Box of Friends from my deck to my hand. Come forth, my final two Gem Knights!" With a display of light, Rosa's signature monsters appeared on the field once more.

"You've got all your monster card zones full though, and that Box of Friends was still an effect monster," Achan observed. "Meaning Cologne can't use its effect to special summon a monster from the deck."

Cologne glared across the field at Achan with as much malevolence as she could muster, though Rosa was unshaken. "This is true. However, I will not need Cologne's ability in order to finish you this turn- Cosmo Queen's summoning is quite sufficient. On that note, I will switch her to attack position." At Rosa's command the regal spellcaster rose, no longer kneeling, to stare down Achan's stoic guardian. Her smirk contrasted with the elf's grim expression drove home the gap in their power perfectly.

"It only gets worse," Fayte nearly moaned. "_Sandioux._ She has two more level four monsters."

"For the last time this duel, I will construct an Overlay Network with Sapphire and Garnet." Rosa's knights vanished into the nexus, and a new figure rose- this one a knight whose iridescent, white armor was molded around his body. "Gem-Knight Pearl." (2600/1900)

Kastleneid and Tsuki winced in unison, though the succubus was the first to speak. "Four monsters and two Xyz summons in one turn. I'll say this for her, she's absolutely relentless."

"To say nothing of the power she is drawing from that dark card," Kastleneid added. "Achan. Please, stay safe."

Achan looked down from the stage for the first time, flashing Kastleneid a thumbs-up. "Don't worry. I still have things under control!"

"Hmph. Such audacity." Rosa snapped her fingers. "Daigusto Emeral activates its effect." The winged knight raised his left arm, one of his overlay materials slamming into it and causing the surface to ripple as a small nexus opened. "By detaching one of his overlay materials, I am able to resurrect a monster without an effect from the graveyard. Rise, Gem-Knight Garnet, and stand in defense of your princess one more time!" The flame-wielding Gem-Knight stepped from the nexus Emeral had opened, thrusting a burning fist forward. (1900/0)

"A full field. And she set up Garnet's summon last turn, by detaching his overlay from Cologne." Fayte continued to swear in French under her breath.

"And she has far more cards in play than Achan, since many of them were special summoned directly from the deck. But on the other hand," a smile played around Tsuki's lips, "in a way all of that set-up was for nothing. You can have an infinite number of cards more than your opponent, but if you can't use any of them it's no advantage at all."

"I see." Kastleneid nodded. "He still has that card in play."

"Fighting Spirit's effect activates!" Achan swept his arm forward as the blue-white aura surrounding his monster leaped into the air, and Celtic Guard prepared for battle. "With five monsters in play, the total attack point boost increases!" (2700 + 600 = 3300)

"With Fighting Spirit's attack point boost, none of those monsters can attack Celtic Guard. And even if she were to tribute some of them or remove them from the field in another way, Cosmo Queen couldn't destroy Celtic Guard in battle because of its effect. That girl has card advantage, but Achan's countered with a tactic that negates that advantage." Tsuki relaxed, leaning back. "If Tsubasa could see this, he'd be drooling over these two. It really is a fight between high level duelists."

"Yes." Fayte shook her head. "A fight he's about to lose."

"What do you mean?" Kastleneid turned to her foster mother, genuine concern in her eyes.

"I mean that your friend will lose if his only monster is destroyed. And in Duel Monsters, it only takes a single card to make a turnaround. And given how many monsters that doll summoned, she has it."

Achan continued to stare down his opponent. "So, what do you plan to do? None of your cards can touch my monster, so did you just summon them all to show off?"

"Hmmm. I notice you have only played that one monster during this entire duel." Rosa stared it down. "You say my cards care about me. Let's see how much pain your cards will go through for you." She placed a card on her table. "Spell card, Forbidden Lance!"

Celtic Guard raised his blade to stop an incoming attack- and then staggered backward. Achan watched in horror as his monster's sword fell to the ground, and he tried in vain to remove the lance which had pierced straight through his shoulder. "What?"

"Forbidden Lance decreases the attack points of its target by eight hundred for the duration of the turn. But in exchange for that loss, that monster gains an immunity to the effects of any other spell and trap cards..." Rosa gestured towards Achan's two equip spells, "and unfortunately for you, that does mean _all_ of those spells."

"Shit shit _shit_," Achan moaned as he reached out helplessly toward his monster. Celtic Guard slumped to his knees, blood dripping from his freshly-inflicted wound. (3300 – 1500 – 400 – 800 = 600)

"And don't think I've forgotten about the troublesome effect of that card either! While most of my monsters are too strong to finish it off, I have just the one to put your wounded warrior out of his misery." Rosa pointed to her emerald-armored knight. "Daigusto Emeral, destroy his Celtic Guard and lead him to eternal rest. _Emerald Aegis Impact!_" At her command, the knight leaped into the air and hovered for a moment, gathering energy into his twin weapons. Then he swooped, his strike aimed squarely at Achan's warrior.

"It's over," Fayte rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kastleneid. When the game cancels, we'll do everything we can to save him-"

"It is not over." Kastleneid shook off her mother's arm and stood. "Achan." She watched he turned toward her- and then she smiled. "If you cannot defeat her, you will embarrass me after all the times I have lost to you. Win."

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Achan braced himself for impact as Emeral's attack struck his Celtic Guard head on. The elf-warrior hurtled back, crashing at Achan's feet. However as Emeral returned to his space on the field, Celtic Guard pulled himself to his feet- clearly still injured and breathing hard, but not destroyed. (8000 – 1200 = 6800 LP)

Rosa stepped back, surprised. "How? Your monster shouldn't be able to survive that battle with its effect!"

"I didn't use Celtic Guard's effect," Achan explained as he held up his equip spell. "Fighting Spirit's secondary effect lets me destroy it in place of an equipped monster during battle. And since that effect targets Fighting Spirit itself, Forbidden Lance can't cancel it." He slipped the equip spell into his discard slot, smiling. "You can't take Celtic Guard or me down that easily. And no matter how much you fight it, just like you won't be able to destroy my monster- you can't run away from the truth. No matter how much you loved your father, you know you don't want to carry out this plan!"

"You've already talked too much for one duel." Rosa pointed at her next monster. "Garnet, attack his guardian. _Garnet Fist Impact!_" The flaming Gem-Knight charged at his master's orders, striking the recovering Celtic Guard in the face and knocking him to the ground. Several flames from the attack danced toward Achan, ready to burn away at his life points.

"Trap card, Defense Draw." The first of Achan's two set cards flipped and a translucent barrier repelled the flames. "I negate the damage from this attack and draw a card- and since Garnet's attack points were above the threshold, Obnoxious Celtic Guard isn't destroyed by that battle." As Achan's monster slowly, painfully crawled to his feet yet again, still struggling to remove the lance piercing his shoulder, Achan continued to speak. "Rosa, I never met your father, but looking at the cards he gave you- all of them love you the way you are. To them you've never been 'incomplete'."

Rosa shook her head. "They are my cards. Of course they don't care! Only Father cared-"

"Heh." Achan shook his head. "Rosa, you just admitted it."

"What are you saying?"

"Your father is the only person who was ever disappointed that you weren't his daughter- and he's gone now. You know you're worth something even if you didn't live up to his dream. Deep down, you really don't want to have this duel and you know it. And if you want proof, the only reason I survived this turn is because of what you did during my first turn."

"What?' Rosa was taken aback.

"When you used Mystical Space Typhoon I had two targets on the field. One was my set card, but the other was Fighting Spirit. If you had destroyed Fighting Spirit back then, you could have destroyed Celtic Guard and completely wiped out my life points by now with your Gem-Knights." Achan smiled. "But in the end, you chose the other card because you didn't want to attack my monster right away. After all, that would mean attacking me in this shadow game, where we could both be seriously hurt."

"This is outrageous. It's a lie, it's all a lie!"

"It's the truth and you know it." Achan didn't flinch as Rosa shook her head back and forth, hands over her ears. "You're not the kind of person who would want this for yourself. You've just been trapped by your father's stupid last wishes, and you know you don't want to fulfill them!"

"_Liar!_" Rosa looked at her remaining two attacking monsters. "I'll- I won't hesitate to destroy you this time. Pearl, attack Celtic Guard with _Shining Pearl Impact!_" Rosa's monster hesitated for a moment, and then grudgingly nodded when Cologne urged him forward. Celtic Guard had just managed to steady himself when the massive Gem-Knight grabbed him by the head and slammed him into the ground with a sickening crack.

Chunks of stage flew from the ground, forcing Achan to construct impromptu barriers to deflect several of them. One escaped his coverage and struck him across the cheek. Still, he stood his ground while Celtic Guard grabbed his nearby sword and slowly pulled himself to one knee using it as a brace. (6800 – 2000 = 4800 LP)

"Cosmo Queen!" Rosa pointed at Achan's struggling warrior yet again. "Bring him to his knees. _Expansion Universe!_"

The queen laughed deeply and rose into the air with a crude smile. Between her hands a dark shape began to take form- a distortion in space, a model universe. Raising it over her head, she hurled it at Achan's struggling guardian.

This time Achan was knocked completely off his feet, Celtic Guard smashing into the stage's surface so hard that it completely shattered the boards between Achan and his opponent. (4800 – 2300 = 2500)

Rosa was breathing heavily, but a dark light shone both in her eyes and the eyes of Princess Cologne. "Well, how was that? Do you still doubt my resolve?"

Fayte breathed a sigh of relief. "_Mon Dieux_. He managed to save himself."

"But he has only two cards left in his hand." Tsuki shook her head. "Realistically he probably won't win at this point. But with his attitude," she admitted, "I feel like he should. He's come close to convincing a duelist with a dark card to completely abandon the duel twice now."

"Achan's real power is the same as yours, Mama." Kastleneid smiled. "He is also someone who reaches into closed off hearts and opens them."

Rosa surveyed her hand. "I set a card, and my turn ends." As her set trap shimmered into existence behind her monsters, she shook her head at Achan. "Your monster has been beaten painfully. You are at the end of your rope. If you surrender Father will not permit me to spare you, but I can at least give you a merciful death."

"Heh." Achan reached out. "Unfortunately, that's not happening. First off, with the end of your turn, Celtic Guardian's attack points return to normal and the effect of Forbidden Lance finally ends." The spear piercing Achan's monster dissolved, and with renewed strength he hefted his blade- much weaker than before, but still prepared to fight whatever enemies it took to win. (600 + 800 + 400 = 1800)

"There's no way that monster's a turnaround play." Fayte turned her attention to Achan's set card. "Wait a minute. Is it-?"

"During the end phase, trap card activate!" A burst of white hot light surrounded Achan as he reached for his deck. "Shock Draw! With this card's effect, I draw one card from my deck for every thousand points of damage I took this turn, rounded down. Since you managed to decrease my life points by five thousand, I draw five cards!"

"I see." Kastleneid nodded in understanding. "He used a variation of this tactic against me once- intentionally opening himself to damage in order to conserve the cards he needed to win. He used Defense Draw to negate Garnet's attack instead of Cosmo Queen's in order to draw an extra card with that trap's effect."

"Alright." Fayte shook her head. "_Merde._ I hate admitting it, but as idiotic as that friend of yours is he managed to set that play up well. It's not often you see a lost boy who duels on the level of a Shadowchaser."

"Perhaps if he wins we should look into future recruitment options," Tsuki giggled.

"One thing does bother me." Kastleneid furrowed her brow in concentration. "Achan had enough life points to survive all four of Rosa's attacks. Why, then, use Defense Draw at all? He could have drawn an extra card with Shock Draw otherwise."

"He had one card left in his hand. At a guess, it's something with a life point cost," Fayte explained. "And if it's what I think it is, maybe he will turn the game around this turn. Alright, Achan Seventh." She leaned back in her chair, smiling for the first time during the duel. "I'll give you a pass on your recklessness. Go ahead and show me if you can overcome that field in front of you."

"My turn begins with a draw." Achan's hand increased to seven cards. "Let's see here... first up, the spell Card of Disdain!"

"What?" Rosa stepped back in shock as a blue crystal pierced straight through her set card. "What have you done?"

"The start of a little tough love," Achan explained. "You didn't ever want this duel, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't talk you out of it. So if I can't reach your heart with my words, I'll do it with my cards! Card of Disdain's effect lets me pick one of my opponent's set spell or trap cards and seal it so it can't be activated this turn. And if you activate any card but the targeted one, you take eight hundred points of damage!"

"How troublesome. But bluffing will not save you." Rosa shook her head. "You have nothing that can overcome my field. Your monster is alone, and your equip spell is gone. If by some miracle you did destroy one of my monsters, Cologne would simply replace it. You cannot win!"

"Heh. Only one monster, huh?" Achan lifted two more cards from his hand. "Come on and join the field, Gilasaurus and Spell Striker!"

Twin portals of light opened beside Celtic Guard, and a monster emerged from each. The first was a small, lithe dinosaur of about the size of the elf, which growled a challenge as it assumed a hunting position. The second was a young, toy-like warrior holding a child-sized magic wand. (1400/400) (600/200)

As Hidden Armory slipped out of his graveyard slot and evaporated into the air, Achan pointed to his two new cards. "Spell Striker can be special summoned from my hand by removing a spell card in my graveyard from play. And Gilasaurus can be special summoned from my hand at any time, but if it is you're allowed to target a monster in your graveyard and special summon it- which you can't, because your field is already full."

"Get to your point!" Rosa snapped. "Those weak cards can't beat Father's legacy. They can't!"

"Well, I don't really want to defeat your Father's legacy so much as I want to wipe out the dark card that corrupted your deck. Which means..." Achan looked up into Cosmo Queen's eyes. "Hey, you. Why don't you say your prayers?"

_**Insolent mortal! How did you-**_

"Pretty clever, using Cologne as a conduit for your power. She's been with Rosa so long that their souls are linked- what you do to Rosa you do to her, and vice versa. You wanted to watch them wipe out everyone here and then destroy themselves when their plan didn't work, right?" Achan lifted one more card from his hand. "Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not happening. It's time to bring down the curtain on this performance. Gilasaurus! Celtic Guard! Spell Striker! Lend me your souls so we can finish this!"

_**What are you-**_

Achan's three monsters reshaped themselves into spheres of light, condensing into a single orb. "By releasing three monsters, I can summon this card. Let's go, new friend!" Achan's right eye changed from the passive blue glow it had emitted earlier into a harsher golden one. "When everything seems hopeless, your roar heralds a miracle. Take up your lance and break open this closed-off heart, my new ace..."

The orb of light shattered, and four panther-like paws hit the ground. Attached to the panther body was a human torso, which ended in a lion's head, adorned with metal guards that protected its mane. A red lance and a heavy buckler materialized in its hands as the centaur-like beast warrior roared. "Beast King Barbaros!" (3000/1200)

"That card came from Tsubasa's case," Kastleneid realized.

"That card..." Rosa stared at Achan's new monster in awe. "Its ability-"

"When Beast King Barbaros is tribute summoned using three monsters, it destroys every card my opponent controls." Achan glared into the eyes of Cosmo Queen. "Even your proxy, Cologne, won't be able to stay on the field after this- I can't target her with attacks or effects, but that doesn't stop indiscriminate destruction."

_**I will tear you down to the depths of hell with me,**_ Cosmo Queen snarled.

"I don't think so." Achan waved his arm outward. "Barbaros, let's open a path to victory! _Roar of Triumph!"_

At Achan's command, the king of beasts raised up on his hind legs and let out an ear-shattering roar. When his paws slammed to the ground, a massive tremor rushed across the stage. The force of the earthquake opened a fissure, and one by one Rosa's cards fell into it. Pearl, Garnet, and her set cards went first, dropping like stones. The next two to fall were Emeral and Cosmo Queen, the latter of whom scrabbled wildly at the edge before screaming in frustration as she fell into the pit.

Cologne's eyes filled with tears as her tormentor vanished, and she mouthed a small 'thank you' to Achan before she, too, fell away.

Rosa looked back and forth between her now-empty field and Achan's monster, who eyed her with disdain. "I won't give up," she said, more to herself than him.

"I wouldn't ask you to. If you really believe in what you're dueling for, you won't give up. And that's why I'll keep trying to reach you." Achan smiled as he picked one last card from his hand. "You know, I run equip spells in this deck because a lot of my monsters need them to fight effectively. When this one showed up in my opening hand, I wondered if it was waiting there for a moment like this. Guess I was right." Achan placed the green-bordered card into a waiting spell card slot. "For the cost of fifteen hundred life points, I activate the equip spell Autonomous Action Unit!"

Fayte whistled appreciatively. "And that's why he used Defense Draw. Looks like the kid has a few tricks after all."

"We really should let Tsubasa duel him next time. They're too perfect a match," Tsuki agreed.

Kastleneid merely breathed a sigh of relief.

"When Autonomous Action Unit is activated, I select a card from your graveyard, special summon it, and equip this card to it," Achan explained as his life points dropped. (2500 – 1500 = 1000) "And I think I know just the card. Gem-Knight Pearl, come help me set your owner free!" The ground below Achan's feet rumbled and burst, the shining knight emerging to stand beside Barbaros. The two monsters exchanged a look, sizing each other up, then nodded in unison. (2600/1900)

Rosa stepped back, gripping what remained of her hand. "Those two..."

"Celtic Guard's blow earlier was decisive. These two are going to finish it right here thanks to him." Achan punched his fist forward. "Barbaros, you go first. Attack Rosa with _Lion's Lance!"_ Barbaros needed no second urging, lunging into the air and pouncing on Rosa. His lance buried itself in the ground beside the doll, an inch away from gouging a hole in her body. (5300 – 3000 = 2300)

"Father..." Rosa whispered softly as she let the remaining cards in her hand drop to the ground.

"Gem-Knight Pearl, let's finish this." Achan pointed at Rosa. "Free Rosa from her Father's cruel desire and the darkness that overcame her. _Shining Pearl Impact!_"

The Gem-Knight stepped forward- but rather than attacking Rosa, he knelt and wrapped his arms around her. The doll stared up at her monster in shock as his body began to glow from within. Blinding light obscured the stage, forcing the onlookers to turn their eyes away.

At last, the light faded, and with it the image of Pearl. Rosa fell to her knees. "...It's over...Father..." (2300 – 2600 = 0)

Beast King Barbaros turned to look at Achan, giving him a smile of approval- somehow more terrifying than his angry expression- and then faded into light as well. Achan carefully removed his deck from his duel disk as the silver shield dis-assembled its disc portion and returned to its sealed state. He walked forward to the fallen doll, reaching down to pick up a card from her scattered deck. "Cosmo Queen, you've really caused a lot of trouble." He pursed his lips. "Well, what the hell do I do now?"

"I think I can answer that," Fayte said from behind him, pulling the card from Achan's hands and throwing it toward the audience. "Remy, think fast."

The teddy bear Don, who had sneaked back into the room during the duel, raised his derringer and plugged the card in mid-air. "Heh. Still got it, after all these years."

A dark aura briefly flared around Rosa's body, then vanished. Slowly, the doll got to her feet and stumbled forward, only to trip and fall. Achan caught her before she hit the ground. "You alright?"

Rosa closed her eyes. "...It all seems so clear now. Even with the power of the Black Forest, I could never have been the daughter Father desired. He wanted his own child back... in the end, he left me because he decided I was a poor substitute. I could absorb a hundred souls, and nothing would change. I almost destroyed the lives of everyone here- for nothing."

Tsuki and Kastleneid had stepped onto the stage too. The vampire looked at her wife. "Well, what should we do, _cherie_? Take her in?"

"Article six, paragraph four of the Great Treaty's regulations regarding criminal offenses states that no one, human or shadow, can be held personally responsible for actions committed while possessed by a force beyond their control. Since it's obvious that Rosa could not have known that her card was tainted by darkness, there's no case for condemnation under the Faust corollary either." Tsuki knelt. "Rosa? I'm Tsuki, and this is my wife Fayte. We're Shadowchasers, and we're here to help you. Once you're better I'd like to ask you some questions about where you got that card from, alright?"

Rosa nodded mutely before returning her attention to Achan. "...What was your name, again?"

"Achan Seventh."

"Achan, then." Rosa's glass eyes were incapable of shedding tears, but her expression conveyed the emotion perfectly. "You said that my life was mine to choose, that I did not have to live by my Father's words. So what would you have me do now? Where should I go?"

Achan pulled his hair so it obscured his right eye once again, and caught the hooded sweatshirt Kastleneid tossed him. As he pulled it on, he shrugged. "Honestly, I wish I could give you an answer to that but I can't. Your life is your life, you have to figure out what you want from it yourself." With the shirt completely on, he gave Rosa one last smile. "But I can tell you this. Even with darkness surrounding you, your cards gave me a really warm feeling. Maybe they can help you out. After all, even if you decide to back out of acting? You're one hell of a duelist."

Rosa nodded, closing her eyes. "I see." With some effort, she stood up on her own. "Madame Tsuki and Madame Fayte, pardon me but... I could use some time to recover. May I sit down before we begin our questioning?"

"Take all the time you need." Tsuki smiled at the doll.

Achan stretched out and yawned. "Well, glad that's-"

Fayte's swat to his ear caught him at the some moment as Kastleneid's punch to the shoulder. "God _DAMNIT!"_

"You jumped into that duel recklessly, put yourself in danger, and worried my daughter." Fayte glared at Achan. "Believe me, if you and that doll hadn't come out okay by the end you'd have had a lot worse."

"And more than that, you did not ask for _my_ help at all. I understand your desire to protect others, but you were surrounded by friends. There was no need for you to fight that battle by yourself." Kastleneid shook her head. "With that out of the way, that was an impressive duel. I intend to commit it to memory so I can adapt my tactics to overcome it next time we play."

"Thanks, Kastle. And next time, I promise I'll try not to worry you." Achan scratched the back of his head, slightly ashamed. "I guess... this time, my body just moved on its own."

"You dueled Rosa purely by reflex then?" Fayte snorted.

"Er, well, not exactly-" Achan fumbled as he searched for the words he wanted. "Rosa is a lot like me. So when I saw her, I knew I had to be the one to duel her. I had to break through the shell around her heart. And when I heard what she said about her father... I don't mind that this duel probably erased any trace of his influence from her."

Fayte answered this with a smile. "You're still a reckless fool, Achan Seventh. But you're a noble fool. And in my experience, the truly noble fools of the world tend to make a name for themselves." She reached out to offer him a handshake, which Achan accepted. "Just make sure you don't earn yours by throwing your life away."

"Hey, I have to live long enough to duel everyone in the world, at least," Achan quipped.

Tsuki groaned. "You really are just like Tsubasa"

-0000-

From the back of the room, another member of the audience watched.

"Achan Seventh. That's an interesting name you've chosen," he mused. "Does that have something to do with ADAM? A man cursed by God?" He laughed, and shook his head. "Regardless, you've already passed the first test."

He left the theater and gestured, summoning an old book. "And you as well, Ronove."

The blonde-haired man faded into the night, and his musings with him.

-0000-

**Deck Profiling!**

**Rosa's Deck: **"Fierce Knights and Beautiful Maidens"

Box of Friends is one of the most confusing cards in Duel Monsters. It has a massive array of restrictions which make playing it counter-intuitive, such as only being able to use its effect one time each turn, both summoned monsters being required to be level four and have different names, and the odd quirk of requiring either an attack score or defense score of zero. However, in the right hands this oddball card can be used as the keystone to unlocking extraordinary power. Rosa's deck is one such example. By wielding otherwise-useless cards such as Generation Shift and selecting Gem-Knights Garnet and Sapphire as her designated summon targets, she is able to both use Box of Friends as a reaction to an opponent's attack and proactively during her own turn to set up Xyz summons. Her deck also carries some high-level, high-impact monsters for interaction with her ace card's ability.

**Ace Card: **Princess Cologne is an unusual Rank 4 Xyz monster. Simply by summoning her, Rosa can return a Box of Friends from her graveyard to the field, where it can in turn be used to set up a second Rank 4 Xyz monster. Cologne also protects herself from attacks and targeted effects while Rosa has even one other monster in play, making her extremely resilient. Her final ability allows her to detach a material in response to the destruction of a normal monster, special summoning a replacement from Rosa's deck. Due to her summoning requirements and the narrow range of her effect, Princess Cologne isn't a card that's very useful in decks not specifically constructed around her- but once a deck is set up for her, she's unstoppable. Outside of Rosa's specific build, it's also possible to build a Blue-Eyes deck with her, using Cologne along with Maiden With Eyes of Blue to get fast access to the dragon, and tune for Azure-Eyes.

-000000-

**Achan's Deck (Revamp): **"Our Triumph"

Achan's second deck only incorporates some of the many cards she received from Tsubasa, but its focus has completely been retooled. No longer a simple low-level beatdown build, Achan now has access to powerful two and three-tribute monsters which can completely overturn the gamestate. Her low level monsters carry common themes supporting this, either focusing on being able to summon themselves from the hand quickly in order to set up a tribute summon or by resisting battle/effect destruction. One trait she's carried over from her past deck is the use of equip spells, which allow her to quickly power up monsters even if she can't put a card with high attack points on the field already. This deck is "slower" than many high-speed decks that currently exist, but Achan's sheer tenacity and bond with her monsters won't let her give in that easily. The top of the world of dueling just got one step closer!

...Female pronouns again? Oh come on at least promise some resolution next chapter!

**Ace Card: **While Devil Kuriboh remains Achan's partner, her new deck houses the powerful Beast King Barbaros. The most flexible tribute monster in the game arguably, Barbaros can be normal summoned with 1900 attack points and returned to its original attack score through negating its effect with cards such as Forbidden Chalice, normal summoned with two tributes to serve as a 3000 attack point monster, or- most powerfully- normal summoned with three tributes in order to destroy every card on the opponent's field. The ultimate comeback card, it's a key part of many strategies Achan uses in order to keep the higher and slower costs of her tribute monsters from being countered by her opponent. In one move, this card can change the direction of the entire game, with very few monsters able to withstand it.

I swear! Explanations will happen! Wait for next chapter! Wait patiently!

**Normalize**  
Quickplay Spell

Select a face-up monster you control. This turn it is treated as a normal monster on the field and in the graveyard, and has its Atk increased by 1000, but its effects are negated while it is face-up.


	4. Chapter 4: A Side

_A/N: Greetings all. My co-author and I are working hard to get these updates out regularly, but right now we're both having a little trouble pushing them out the door in such a way that they will be quality. So I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have a bunch of material ready to go- essentially a full mini-arc's worth. The bad news is that in order to synch with Knightfall, I can't post all of it at once._

_The other bad news is that this is probably close to the darkest Encounters will get. I've tried to leave some fun in, but things are not going to be happy for anyone for a little while._

_Encounter 4 is presented as two separate chapters, one for Achan and one for Kastleneid. Please, enjoy._

* * *

**Encounter 4: A Side**

"_Protection"_

Kastleneid fidgeted uncomfortably. "Aunt Maria, are you sure about this? Achan has not said whether or not he- she- he... she... Achan has not decided for sure on a gender yet. If we buy more clothes-"

"You two aren't that far apart in size, and your Aunt Maria knows how to sew. I can always modify it," Maria chuckled. She twirled the parasol over her head as she and Kastleneid walked down a crowded street towards Backwater's premiere (and, indeed, only) boutique. "Besides, I need to pick up some fabric from Alanna."

Kastleneid's worried were not assuaged, but she decided not to argue. Aunt Maria was hard to change the mind of. She had seen her come closer to standing up to Auntie Rayearth than any of the rest of her family, and this was no small feat. If Aunt Maria said they were going to the clothing store to buy a few dresses as a gift for her best friend, then that meant that she and Aunt Maria were going to the clothing store to buy a few dresses for her best friend, and no force on heaven or earth could prevent that forever. She found herself hurrying to keep pace with her aunt's steps. She had never understood how Aunt Maria managed to move so quickly or easily with a skirt of that size and shape, but move she did. Kastleneid found herself itching to leap up and begin moving along low rooftops and walls instead of walking down the street this way, hunting movements were far more natural and easy for her. Even in Backwater, though, that would attract too much attention.

Particularly with

[him]

still out there. No reason to give him extra incentive to put her new life in danger.

Kastleneid shuddered. It was still too difficult to put a name to the face. Her mind was kind enough to block most of what she had experienced and only feed it back to her as a haze of sounds, phrases, and sensations, but her nightmares the few times she had slept had included a lucid enough version of them that she had all but sworn off sleeping. And at the center of it all was that man, the one who had

[hurt]

her. It was still too difficult to phrase it more specifically than that. That man who her family had, for all their efforts, never been able to deal with.

Maria laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kastle, dear. Are you alright?"

Kastleneid flinched involuntarily and shrank back from her hand, suppressing her immediate response. "I'm fine, Aunt Maria."

"Kastle. The air around you just dropped in temperature drastically."

Kastleneid's cheeks flushed to a slightly less pale shade as she realized it was true. Somehow she had lost control of her powers again, if only slightly. She inhaled slowly and exhaled, and the air around her returned to normal. "I am sorry."

"Kastleneid, you know it's alright to talk about these things," Maria chided her as they continued to walk. "We're family, and you've been through quite a bit. You don't have to hide it to make us feel better."

Kastleneid shook her head. "I am fine, Aunt Maria. It is nothing you could help with."

Maria pursed her lips. "Wait until we get back home and I make us some of my hot chocolate." She grinned, and a small tuft of blue fox-fire sprouted into the air beside her face unbidden and puffed out of existence just as quickly. "Then we'll see whether I can help or not."

Kastleneid's mouth began to water at the mere mention of the warm, rich drink. She threw her arms around her aunt, holding her close. "Thank you, Aunt Maria."

"Thank you yourself, dear." Maria gently patted her on the head and coughed. "...Also, Kastle. You're squeezing a bit too-"

"Oh. Oh! Oh." Kastleneid released her aunt sheepishly, backing off. "I am sorry, I still sometimes forget my own strength."

"Mmm, don't we know it," Maria chuckled even as she rubbed her side. "Right. Let's get on our way. Hot chocolate therapy now awaits!"

Kastleneid grinned as her doubts began to wash away. Yes,

[he]

was still out there. But right now, she was here. And here was with her family. And her family was warm, and loving, and safe.

She pushed away the dark muttering that was sounding in the back of her mind and continued down the road with her favorite aunt.

-0000000-

"_Well I rode a tank, held a general's rank-_"

He reached up and adjusted his sunglasses. It was a futile gesture- he could see as much of the world with them as he could without, they were merely an extension of the substance he was made of. But his time separated from the Source had caused him to acquire several pointless habits, and this was by far the hardest to break. Occasionally he still craved food, as well. He rarely risked buying it. Even if he had money which wasn't already invested in his grand investigation, there were better uses than on five minutes of satisfaction half-tasting something he would never actually digest.

"_Pleased to meet you, Hope you've guessed my name!/But what's puzzlin' you is the, nature of my-"_

"This music is quite obnoxious," he said to himself in a low undertone.

The second him nodded in agreement and then shook his head. "It is a pity we have taken to materializing in a place such as this."

"A necessary evil. It is better to talk here than in any place under obvious scrutiny."

"Of course."

Even when he had been part of the Source, a true agent of Truth, he had spoken of his countless other selves as "we", treated them like separate individuals and not sounding boards. Back then he had contained enough other minds and souls that it was closer to the truth than otherwise. It disgusted him that since losing his connection, referring to this other him as a separate person was no more than a child's game, a human infant gurgling at an imaginary friend and pretending to hear an answer. He toyed with the idea of releasing the duplicate, absorbing it back into himself, but he decided not to.

That he could not quite bring himself to was yet another mark of the damage being forced into the shape of humanity had done to him. He didn't allow himself to show his frustration. It would only make things worse.

The other "him", despite being perfectly aware of these feelings as if they were his own- they were his own- began speaking again. "We are certain this plan will be a success?"

"She has a deep despair. A perfect breeding-ground. Were we one with the Source still, we might not even require a confrontation. Under the circumstances, it should only take a push. I have been waiting for an opportunity. Now is the time." He looked out across the dingy restaurant he was sitting across from himself at, taking in every detail- the blaring rock music, the barely-wiped tables, the décor which had been old-fashioned long before the Source had parted company with him. "She will be our next vector."

"We should make certain of that. No games. No tricks. Strike directly for her heart." His other raised up a hand and offered him a small, black deck box. "Strike with the bluntest force we have."

He opened the box his doppelganger handed him and examined the contents, returned it, and smiled. "Perfect. Thank you."

His other self vanished just as a waitress placed a plate of food in front of him. He inhaled its scent and dug in. It was greasy, somewhat underdone in places and overdone in others, and above all over-salted.

It was real.

He ate it to remind himself that despite everything, he was too. Outside, across town, he heard one of his many branched selves sending the report that everything was in position.

He closed his eyes and let the game begin.

-0000000000000000-

Kastleneid was never sure where The Cunning Little Vixen had taken its name from. Aunt Maria insisted that it had nothing to do with her or any investment she may have made in it when it opened, but it did little to assuage Kastleneid's suspicions. Regardless of whether the boutique was named for her aunt or not, it was certainly all but built for her. Kastleneid had never seen such elaborate dresses in her life outside of her aunt's closet, and at least one centerpiece was so frilled, ruffled and trimmed that she doubted even Aunt Maria would wear it on more than a few select occasions. Despite its elaborate display pieces, the shop carried the same surprised practical streak as her aunt, dealing in simpler and more contemporary clothing items towards the back.

As they entered the door, they were greeted by a cheerful mewling. "Maria! Yaaaaaaaaaay!"

Maria held out her hands to catch a tabby cat who had launched herself from the top of a display directly into her arms. "Hello to you as well, Alanna. It's not usual to see you like this."

Kastleneid stared at the cat in Maria's arms. "...Alanna is a cat?"

"And the best seamstress in the business," Maria confirmed, stroking Alanna behind her ears as she let out a gentle purring. "She taught me everything I know about sewing. Of course, I've taught her how to cook, so that's a fairly even trade."

Alanna mewled in agreement as she nuzzled into Maria. "Mmmhmm! It's entirely true, and those brownies you taught me to make were...deeeeeeeeeeeeelicioussssssssss..." The cat rolled her eyes in ecstasy before squirming out of Maria's arms and to the floor. "Oh, hello there. You must be Kastle, Maria's told me so much about you already! I'm Alanna, my husband and I are the owners here!"

"Husband?" Kastleneid blinked.

"That would be me," a voice from behind her answered.

Kastleneid whirled in shock, but Maria didn't move. "Nice to see you, Jonathan."

"And you as well, Maria. My wife has been quite anxious to see you." Jonathan was a tall, black man with handsome features and short-cut hair, and his voice was soft and gentle. He was dressed in a gray suit which Kastleneid recognized as being one from the boutique's own men's clothing line. He adjusted his silk tie as he continued. "I'm pleased to meet you as well, Kastleneid. It's always nice to see new faces around here."

"Yeah, especially younger ones!" Alanna leaped up and Jonathan caught her easily, and he stroked her behind the ears as she purred.

Kastleneid blinked. "Um."

Jonathan chuckled. "Let me guess. You want to know, and you're too embarrassed to ask." Kastleneid nodded mutely, and he continued. "Well, originally we named it after an opera we loved, and we thought about changing it but then your aunt showed up and started buying out everything we-"

"Joooohhnnn!" Alanna giggled, playfully swatting at him with one of her paws, "you know very well what she wanted to know!"

Jonathan smiled, tickling his wife below the chin which she responded to by purring. "I know, honey, I know, but that story's so much less fun to tell." He smiled at Kastleneid, winking. "The short story is about two words long, and both of them are 'baleful polymorph'. The long one is 'baleful polymorph really stinks'. And the really long one is-"

"I got turned into a cat after we got married, and I'm stuck right now," Alanna finished for her husband. "But it's alright! We haven't developed a way to un-curse me yet, but we did learn enough that I can cast a few simple spells to make being a cat less annoying. Like this one!" A glowing, pink aura extended from her body and reshaped itself into a large hand giving a thumbs-up. "Bugsby's Expressive Single-Digit Gesture!"

Kastleneid couldn't suppress a small case of the giggles.

Jonathan set his wife on the ground carefully and snapped his fingers. There was a burst of smoke, and a moment later he had been replaced by a gray tom with black stripes, his fur's coloration mirroring his suit's. "It also helps that I'm accomplished enough with magic myself to do this." A puff of smoke later, he had returned to his human form. "Ta-da!" Kastleneid and Maria clapped dutifully as he took a small bow. "Thank you, I'll be here all week!"

Maria gave Kastleneid's shoulder a light squeeze again. "Told you that you'd enjoy this trip."

Kastleneid responded by reaching out and giving her a hug.

In the next moment she found herself sprawling across the floor as Chivalry separated from its parasol shield half and sliced through the air. Maria hissed as her target leaped back, unharmed. "How are you here?"

Kastleneid moved to her feet almost instantly. It was impossible, she had heard _nobody_ enter the boutique after herself and Aunt Maria. It couldn't be

[him]

could it?

She relaxed for a moment after getting a good look at their attacker. He was blonde, perhaps in his late thirties, and dressed in white robes. In each hand he held a sharpened knife which resembled a bayonet. He advanced on Maria, his eyes closed, lips moving in a silent prayer.

Maria gritted her teeth and adopted a defensive stance. Her attacker made it two steps closer before leaping to the side, narrowly avoiding a fist of pink aura which slammed into the ground next to him. "Bugsby's Get the Hell Out of My Store Fist! Of Justice!"

Jonathan scooped up his wife hurriedly and ran toward the door, ignoring her yowls of protest. "Maria, will you be alright?" He called over his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. Kastle, you run too," Maria urged as she reconnected the two halves of Chivalry, staring her opponent down. "I know him better than he knows me. You should get away in case I have to use a blanket illusion."

Kastleneid nodded numbly. Now was not the time to fight- not when she could run home and get the others. She rushed for the door, throwing it open, and ran straight into the embrace of the man in black outside. Just as she released a wave of subzero temperatures around her body, the man vanished into a portal of darkness and pulled her after him . She didn't even have time to be shocked.

In the boutique, Maria dropped Chivalry in horror as the image of Thaddeus Kleig in front of her dissolved into a mist of darkness, and the fragments of a few burnt duel monsters cards fell to the ground. "An illusion?" She bit her lip in frustration. "On _me?_ And it worked- Kastle!" She growled in frustration, her face unconsciously beginning to shift into a more vulpine shape. "If I find him I'll-"

She began to dial a number on her cell phone frantically.

-00000000000000000000-

A layer of ice crystals cascaded away from Kastleneid's body as she stumbled to a halt, even her exceptional reflexes unable to compensate for such a short stop. She took in her surroundings almost instantly. The ground beneath her feet had changed to solid concrete, the walls and ceiling above her were a metallic gray, and she could smell dust and dampness and earth all around. She was in some kind of large, underground chamber. And that meant that she had been kidnapped.

Kastle tried to stay calm as her brain processed this last bit of information. She had been kidnapped away from her family, but this was alright. She had thrown herself into far more dangerous situations- rescuing _Moder,_ fighting at the Toybox Theater- this was not nearly as bad. She was strong, and fast, and had power. She could escape and make it home easily. Or she could get far enough away to call for help. She had to. She couldn't think of anyone who would want to kidnap her unless they were connected to

[him]

and she wouldn't let them take her back. She dropped to a hunter's crouch, baring fangs. Let them come and try. She would die first.

"Fascinating."

The voice which greeted her was dry, bored, and filled with base contempt. Nothing like

[his]

voice, at least.

"You can put away your fangs, little girl. I assure you that trying to physically wound me will waste more of your energy than it will mine."

Kastle released a wave of pure, sub-arctic chill which arced through the air, flash freezing the speaker. She rose to her feet and examined the damage. Her kidnapper was an older man, with spiked black hair and thick sunglasses. The leather outfit covering his body was unusual and eccentric, even for Backwater. She felt her heartbeat begin to intensify. This man- she could have sworn she half-remembered something about someone dressed like this man. Some person who Mama had warned her about, perhaps? Some kind of criminal? Why did he seem so familiar?

To her horror, a wave of pure darkness engulfed the f lash-frozen man. When it receded, he was gone. His voice rang out from behind her. "I did warn you."

Kastleneid turned slowly this time. The man was unharmed. Somehow he had simply transported himself out of his frozen prison with merely a thought, and with no frostbite or injury to show for it. She raised her hands in self-defense, backing away.

"I see you are retreating. Unfortunately, this chamber is sealed off. You have nowhere to run," her captor explained as he raised his right arm. She backed away further, her eyes frantically scanning the room for some yet-unseen exit or possible weapon. "You are alone," he continued. "Frightened and helpless. Separated from all that keeps you safe. No matter how hard you try to deny this, you know it is the truth. Just as you know that you have already lost, now that you have been brought here."

Kastleneid tried to ignore him as she continued searching. There must be a hidden exit, some kind of way to leave here. She wouldn't let him trap her like this.

"There is no way to leave this chamber unless I allow you to. And I will not." Her captor's right arm bulged and expanded, and the bulged parts reshaped themselves. Almost instantly he was armed with a black duel disk which had not been there before. "If you wish to escape, you will have to accept my challenge. And in so accepting, you will have to face the truth."

Kastleneid's breathing grew more even. "I am not a weak duelist," she said, more to herself than him to her eternal chagrin. She lifted her own duel disk, which activated, and inserted her deck.

Her opponent did the same. "You were born to be a bodyguard. This amuses me," he said as he drew his opening hand. "Since coming to life you have become unfit for such a task."

Kastleneid felt her stomach churn. "Who... who told you why I was born?"

"I simply know the truth of such things." Her opponent smiled. "I am the one who only speaks the truth."

Kastleneid recognized it then. "You are- Trueman?"

"And you are a doll who is trying desperately to become a young girl, not realizing that she has moved only from one person's pet to another," Trueman replied. "But enough chatter, let us duel."

Kastleneid bristled. "_Moder_ and Mama are nothing like that man. I will not let you talk about them this way!"

"You may argue your point all you like. However, the Truth remains what it is: you are merely something they have acquired. A 'cute little toy' who they protect because they see value in it." Trueman smiled. "Tell me, girl. If you are not simply something which amuses them, why did they save you that night? You were not a thinking being at that time."

Kastleneid placed her cards on her duel disk quickly, as if in too much of a hurry. "I- I move first. One monster and two cards set. Turn end."

As all three of Kastleneid's cards materialized, Trueman closed his eyes. "Then it is my turn. Draw." He examined the contents of his hand. "Very good. I summon Armageddon Knight, in attack position." A wave of dust kicked up in front of him and reshaped itself into a man in battered, tarnished armor, his eyes protected by a pair of black goggles. (1400/1200) "And when Armageddon Knight is normal summoned, I send one Dark monster from my deck to the graveyard. I choose this one." Trueman lifted the card for her to see. "Dark Archetype."

As the card slipped into Trueman's graveyard slot, a strange sensation crawled along Kastleneid's skin. " What did you just do?"

"Nothing. Your body is merely doing what it was built to do- instinctively reacting to danger." Trueman pointed at her defending monster. "Armageddon Knight will now attack your set card."

The dark knight lunged toward Kastleneid's monster, forcing it face-up. A young woman clothed in pink flower petals had only a moment to scream before she was impaled, mercifully shattering into shards of light before Kastleneid could take in the image. Kastleneid barely remembered to reach for her deck. "Botanical Girl's effect activates when it is destroyed. I search my deck for a plant-type monster with a thousand defense points or less, and it is added to my hand." She fanned out her deck, examining each card. At last she settled on one and smiled. "I select-"

"Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis," Trueman finished for her.

Kastleneid froze as she turned her card around, revealing he was correct. "The card you chose as your center-piece, and which you used during a duel with a close friend who you treasure. That card represents your desire to be reborn," Trueman explained. "But such a desire is foolish for you to entertain as you are. After all, you cannot protect yourself. Even with this friend of yours, aren't you just something which amuses her? A cute little student, perhaps?"

"Achan is not any more like that than my mothers," Kastleneid growled. She found herself growing more angry than frightened. "You have no right to speak of any of my family this way."

"I set one card and activate the continuous spell card, Veil of Darkness." Trueman waved his arm. "Turn end."

Kastleneid drew and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It was alright. She was in control. "You overstepped."

"Beg pardon?" Trueman asked, bemused more than offended.

"You are incorrect about _Moder_, and Mama, and Achan, and all of my family. I have seen them talk to others, love others. None of them have treated me any differently than they do their other family members or friends. And so I know you are simply lying, and trying to psychologically corner me. You are trying to ensure that I make an error during this match by convincing me that I am too weak or worthless to try to win." She clenched her fist. "Unfortunately, I am far more than that. My uncle opens with far more impressive plays than yours!" She waved a hand, and both of her set cards flipped face-up. "I activate two copies of Reckless Greed!"

Trueman seemed visibly upset for the first time in the duel. "Those weren't defensive traps?"

"Reckless Greed causes me to draw two cards, but skip my next two draw phases. However since two were activated at once, I am able to draw four cards and only skip two, thus eliminating its own weakness." Kastleneid held up two green-bordered cards. "Next, Trade-In. I discard the level eight Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis which I placed in my hand to draw two more cards. And I activate a second one, discarding Tytannial, Princess of Camellias to draw a further two." She finished, displaying an impressive nine-card hand.

To her shock, Trueman was smiling. "A combination play to draw four cards and filter four more in order to optimize your hand contents. The ability to prioritize counterattacks over defending yourself. The confidence needed to reject psychological pressure." He gave her a small round of applause. "You have grown beyond what observation indicated you would."

"I have no desire to be complimented by you." Kastleneid placed her next monster on the duel disk, her face a mask of fury. "I summon Rose Veiler!" The ground beneath her feet burst and a rose bloomed from the cracked earth, revealing an androgynous, red-haired figure within it. Veiler waved and blew a kiss and tucked a red cape around its body. (1200/0) "Rose Veiler can be tributed in order to special summon two level-four plant-type monsters from my hand, but I cannot use them to summon a monster from the extra deck this turn. _Rose Scatter!_" The cape unfurled, and with it Veiler's rose burst and sent its petals flying through the air in a storm.

They recollected into two distinct shapes, and in a flash of light each had transformed into a new monster- Kastleneid's wooden lion, and a green bird of paradise with a rose for a comb. "Bird of Roses and Botanical Lion!" (1800/1500) (1600 + 300 + 300 = 2200/2000)

Trueman simply continued smiling. "Well?"

Kastleneid pointed to her Lion. "Attack Armageddon Knight. _Timber Crush_!" Her monster obeyed with a roar, lunging and bearing Armageddon Knight to the ground. Its jaws fit over the knight's head and crunched down with a sickening crack, and the knight was dispersed. A scrap of Armageddon Knight's armor flew upward, striking Trueman's cheek. (8000 – 800 = 7200 LP)

"Bird of Roses, you next. _Paradise Gale!_" At Kastleneid's command the bird launched itself into the air and beat its wings, twice. Trueman lifted his duel disk to shield himself as a sharp burst of wind blew down on him, rose petals within it cutting at him. (7200 – 1800 = 5400 LP)

As Bird of Roses settled down, preening itself, Trueman's set card rose up. "Damage Gate. With this card's effect, I will special summon a monster with attack points equal to or lower than the damage I have taken from that last attack." Trueman gestured, and a gleaming portal opened, revealing a familiar figure. "I special summon Armageddon Knight, and using its effect I will send a dark attribute monster from my deck to the graveyard." He held up his next card. "I will select Dark Nephthys."

Kastleneid set a card and pressed a button on her graveyard slot, ejecting two cards. "During my end phase, I banish Rose Veiler from the graveyard in order to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis in defense position!" A gout of flame burst from the ground as the stalks of Kastleneid's monster pushed through it, then crouched. Despite defending, the beak-like 'head' flower of Amaryllis stared down Trueman with all the venom it could muster. (2200/0)

Trueman clapped his hands. "Commendable. With only one turn of attacks, you have already obtained an incredible level of card advantage- filling your hand and field with powerful cards to attack me, and leaving you with an ample quantity of monsters for defense. I am lagging behind in this match."

Kastleneid instinctively took a step back. "If you are trying to make my heart falter by complimenting me, it will not work."

"You have already proved that such tactics are useless against you," Trueman said as he drew. "I will not be able to intimidate you. You are quite brave enough to face me down. However-"

The continuous spell card on Trueman's field erupted with a rush of dark energy, sending a pillar of shadow into the air. "Veil of Darkness's effect activates. When I draw a dark-attribute monster during my draw phase, I am able to discard it and draw one more card from my deck." He revealed his card's identity. "I discard Darklord Zerato, then draw."

Kastleneid closed her eyes as Trueman made his next draw, retracing her strategy in her head. She recalled all of her lessons with Achan and Tsubasa. Their words began to ring out in her mind.

First, Tsubasa's. "_Remember, if you're in a duel then understanding your opponent's deck is just as important as understanding your own. No two decks are alike, not even ones with the same archetype or theme, so it's important to pay attention to the small differences as much as the big ones. If your opponent is running something you think you've seen before, don't get cocky! They could always be planning something big."_

Trueman's deck, so far, appeared to be a simple "Dark" deck- powerful dark-attribute monsters and their support. Generally such decks focused on immediately summoning a powerful dark-attribute monster and then clearing the opponent's field. To do that, the player stocked dark-attribute monsters in their own graveyard and used them to facilitate the summoning of their target card. Veil of Darkness was not a typical card for such decks, since its focus on quick dumping was incompatible with both Dark World cards and Dark Armed Dragon, tending to fill up the graveyard too fast. Therefore it was likely that Trueman's aim was some third card, and that Veil was in place to do the necessary deck filtering needed to 'hit' it.

Her first goal, no matter what, was to destroy that card and prevent him from filtering through his deck for his kill card.

And as for Achan-

Kastleneid smiled, even as Trueman revealed Dark Crusader, Dark Grepher, Phantom of Chaos, and Shadowpriestess of Ohm before throwing them into his graveyard and drawing again each time. This time, she wouldn't make a mistake in how to use her strongest combination.

Trueman gave a small smile himself. "I will keep this card," he announced. "Now, toy, on your knees."

Kastleneid's vision nearly blurred for a moment and she shook her head. "What?"

"On your knees, toy. Save us both some time and kneel."

Kastleneid's heart began to beat rapidly, and once again the room felt small and confining. "No. You cannot fool me. You are not really-"

[him]

"What's the matter, toy? Where's all that spirit you had before?"

She didn't want to look at him, so she closed her eyes. She knew even if it was still Trueman, the person she was looking at would be

[him]

and she didn't want to see. "This is cruel," she protested. "Cruel- pointless- why are you doing this? Why would you pick this kind of form?"

"To see if your show of bravery was genuine, or merely a sham- a desperate attempt to remind yourself that you are loved and might soon be rescued." Kastleneid shuddered, both relieved and unsettled that Trueman's voice returning to normal had taken away some of the tension she felt. "It is the latter. You are not truly 'brave' or 'strong', yet- you are simply desperate. Desperate never to return to what you were. Desperate never to submit to him again. For all your imagined righteous anger, you know that he is the one thing in your life which your family could never protect you from- and you will say anything, do anything, believe anything, to keep him from hurting you again."

Kastleneid choked, her eyes still shut. "You are wrong-"

"Am I? Then if your friend was about to be taken by him, or one of your family, would you offer yourself in their place?"

Kastleneid felt everything in her mind go numb at once. "I-"

"I release Armageddon Knight, tributing it to summon Caius the Dark Monarch from my hand." Kastleneid cracked her eyes open in time to see Armageddon Knight's form be swallowed into mist, transforming into the image of a terrifying demon clad in armor and cloaked in shadow. Raising two gauntleted hands, Caius gestured towards Kastleneid's field. (2400/1000)

Kastleneid understood then. "No-"

"Caius's effect. I banish Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from the game."

With a merciless wave of his arm, Caius opened a portal of darkness beneath Kastleneid's monster. Kastleneid stretched out a hand toward Amaryllis helplessly as it sank into the pool and vanished from the field. A heavy footstep directed her attention toward Caius as the Monarch advanced forward, its footsteps agonizingly slow. "Caius, crush Botanical Lion. _Dark Embrace._"

Two clawed hands reached out and pulled Botanical Lion toward Caius's body. Kastleneid turned her head away before she could see the attack, so she only heard the sickening snap as her monster's body was reduced to kindling. (8000 – 200 = 7800)

In a flash of light, a set card appeared on Trueman's disk. "I will end my turn."

Kastleneid reached for the top card of her deck, and grunted as an alarm sounded on her disk, announcing an illegal move. "My traps. Of course."

"You are already in this state. I didn't even physically take his form- simply hearing the voice of your tormentor and seeing one of his monsters was quite enough. You have no power to resist."

She ignored Trueman and instead directed her attention toward her set card. "Call of the Haunted will return Botanical Lion to the field." With a roar her flower-maned wooden guardian beast reappeared, a wisp of mist heralding its return from the underworld. (1600 + 300 + 300 =2200/2000) She selected a second card from her hand. "In addition, I summon Lonefire Blossom."

A spurt of flame erupted, and a plant's stalk pushed itself up from the ground until it had transformed into an orange stem with a heavy head which glowed with internal fire. (500/1400) "By tributing a plant-type monster, Lonefire Blossom will special summon a plant-type from my deck. I tribute Lonefire itself in order to special summon-"

She paused. Her first target would have been Malina, since her combination with Amaryllis would have easily removed Trueman's defenses. Without Amaryllis, that combination was next to useless- Malina herself was too vulnerable. "I will summon Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms." Lonefire Blossom burst into flames, and a massive bud pushed itself through the ash-enriched soil before blooming into a spreading cherry blossom. Talaya opened her fan in the center as she stared down Caius. (2800 +100 + 100 + 100 =3100/1200) As she arrived on the field, Botanical Lion growled in anticipation as its own attack points rose. (2200 + 200 = 2400/2000)

Trueman made no move to defend himself, calmly assessing the state of Kastleneid's field. "Yes, that is quite a powerful formation."

Kastleneid raised her finger, staring down

[his]

no, not his. Trueman's monster. "Talaya, destroy it." She couldn't bring herself to even name the card. Regardless, her instructions were clear enough for the flower princess to wave her fan outward and release a swarm of cherry blossoms into the air. The razor-sharp petals lanced through Caius's body until the Monarch was shattered to pieces. Kastleneid breathed a sigh of relief even as her remaining monsters, not even waiting for a verbal command, leaped into action and struck Trueman with everything they had. (5400 – 700 – 2400 -1800 = 500 LP)

Trueman dusted himself off. "Will that be all?"

Kastleneid selected one of the last cards in her hand and set it. "I end my turn."

Five hundred life points to nearly eight thousand. Blanket protection from destruction effects. All she had to do was survive this turn.

She couldn't understand why her mind was refusing to even acknowledge that as a possibility.

"Draw." Trueman's voice was even as Veil of Darkness once again erupted with power, a pillar of shadow reaching into the air. "Veil of Darkness activates its effect. I will discard the Dark Armed Dragon in my hand to the graveyard."

"Dark Armed Dragon?" Kastleneid bit her lip. "You had that monster in your deck?"

"I activate Veil of Darkness's effect once more, discarding King of Shadows, Prometheus to the graveyard and drawing once more." Trueman repeated the gesture, examining his next card. "Armageddon Knight. Discard and draw. Spirit Reaper, discard and draw. The Dark Creator, discard and draw." He smiled, at last content with his hand. "Now, an apocalypse occurs. The elements of the end align, and draw back the curtain of revelation!"

Kastleneid could only watch in horror as seven dark contrails burst from the graveyard slot of Trueman's duel disk, twining through the air. "Armageddon Knight, Darklord Zerato, Dark Nephthys, Dark Crusader, King of Shadows Prometheus, Shadowpriestess of Ohm, and Caius the Dark Monarch! With these seven dark attribute monsters, I open the pathway for a new truth. From discarded bonds, I give birth to you!"

The seven contrails united, and as her shock faded into a dull numbness Kastleneid realized that the seven contrails weren't black- they were grayed-out colors. Seven bands, each dulled to nothing but each distinctly different. The hideous parody of a rainbow arced into the air before twisting itself into a sphere. The sphere condensed into blackness, and then two wings rose out- and a jeweled, darkened head, wings, and a tail. Trueman reached upwards as his monster let out an ear-splitting roar. "Take flight, my new servant- Rainbow Dark Dragon!" (4000/0)

"Rainbow... Dark... Dragon? I have never- this card-" Kastleneid shuddered and panicked. The dark counterparts were common knowledge among duelists, but this one- she had never once heard of it.

"Rainbow Dark Dragon may only be special summoned by banishing seven dark-attribute monsters with different names from the graveyard." Trueman's set card lifted face-up. "And by banishing those seven cards, I have met the conditions for activating Return from the Different Dimension. By halving my life points, I special summon as many of my banished monsters as possible. I offer you my life, so appear from the other world!" (500/2 = 250 LP)

The monsters rose from the ground as it turned translucent, portals to a star-lit sky opening beneath their feet. The first was unassuming- a woman with silver hair dressed in a priestess's robes and headdress. She raised a whip in her hand and smirked. "Shadowpriestess of Ohm!" (1700/800)

Next, a bird with a wings of red flame, its body covered in black armor. It screamed in triumph as it took wing. "Dark Nephthys!" (2400/1600)

An angel with a dark blue, muscular body, a red loincloth and cowl covering its body. Sinister eyes glinted from beneath its red hood as it lifted a serrated blade. "Darklord Zerato!" (2800/2300)

More than any of these, it was the last monster which frightened Kastleneid the most. She could hardly look at it- she had hoped that by destroying it the first time, she wouldn't have to face it again. Yet here it was. The armored emperor took a step forward, and Kastleneid threw up her hands to shield herself. "And finally- Caius, the Dark Monarch!" (2400/1000)

Black flames raced across the field and consumed Kastleneid's set card before she could recover her bearings. "Dark Nephthys, when special summoned, will immediately destroy a spell or trap card," Trueman explained. He revealed the identity of the final card in his hand before slipping it into his graveyard slot. "Next, Darklord Zerato's effect, I will send this dark-attribute monster from my hand to the graveyard." He revealed his last hand card, and Kastleneid was disgusted to see a copy of Necro Gardna. "Now, all monsters you control are destroyed."

"Talaya's effect will protect Botanial Lion and Bird of Roses!" Kastleneid protested as Darklord Zerato slashed downward with his sword. A burst of cruel lightning arced from the sky down toward Kastleneid's field, and Talaya barely had time to scream before she was disintegrated.

"Yes. It will." Trueman gestured to his field. "However, there are here are things Talaya could not stop- her own destruction. By discarding that card I have added one more dark-attribute monster to my graveyard. Rainbow Dark Dragon, the time has come to activate your effect. _Dark Rainbow Life!_"

The field surged with energy, and Trueman's other four monsters faded into nothingness. Kastleneid could hardly keep from screaming in panic as eight new trails of darkness erupted from his graveyard slot, creating a total of twelve streams of black energy which fed into Rainbow Dark's body. The dragon doubled in size, then tripled, then quadrupled as gems studded into its body began to dull and blacken with the power it absorbed. "By banishing all other dark-attribute monsters I control and all dark-attribute monsters in the graveyard, Rainbow Dark Dragon gains attack points equal to the total number of cards banished times five hundred." Trueman smirked. "I have banished twelve monsters with this effect. Rainbow Dark Dragon's attack points soar!"

Kastleneid flinched backward. "This-this is a bad dream..."

"You do not dream, because you are afraid to sleep. This is a nightmare in the waking world," Trueman laughed. Rainbow Dark Dragon spread its wings and roared once more. (10000/0)

"Ten thousand..."

Botanical Lion shrank back, and Kastleneid realized why. When Talaya had left the field, its attack points had dropped. "No. No, do not- please do not, this is too cruel-" (2200/2000)

"For _exactly_ seven thousand, eight hundred life points of damage..." Trueman pointed at Kastleneid's monster. "Rainbow Dark Dragon, attack Botanical Lion! _Negative Universe!_"

Botanical Lion roared as it ran toward Rainbow Dark Dragon, not ready to go down without a fight. Kastleneid screamed for it to stop, a moment too late. Rainbow Dark released all of the dark energy it had built up in one massive blast of dark smog which surrounded her faithful lion, withering its body to nothing and choking it away. She screamed as the same smog surrounded her, stripping away her body, her mind, her everything-

(7800 – 7800 = 0)

"Fall into darkness and let your despair be washed away," Trueman commanded her as she collapsed to her knees. He stepped forward, Rainbow Dark and Bird of Roses fading away as he did. "You will never be rescued."

Kastleneid tried to raise a wall of ice, but she felt distant from her body. Her arms and legs would not move as Trueman's hand clamped down over her head and she felt him trickling in, systematically replacing her consciousness with his own, wiping her from existence until she was nothing but a voice in the darkness.

Was this how it was all going to end?

No.

If it was going to end like this, it would have been better if she had died the night that

[he]

had-

She struggled. It was pointless now to feel so much fear. If she was really about to be erased, then she should have no reason to be afraid to think of the name of the person who had hurt her so much. It was just a name. It was his name but that was all it was. She could do this. She had to do this. Every part of her entire being was about to be swept away. Trueman said she was simply desperate, not brave. So to prove her bravery, to prove him wrong this late, all she needed to do was think it. Think one name. The name of one man. She could do this. It was so easy. One little word, all she needed.

If it was going to end like this, it would have been better if she had died the night that

If it was going to end like this, it would have been better if she had died the night that-

If it was going to end like this, it would have been better if she had died the night that-

If it was going to end like this-

She steeled herself.

-it would have been better-

One name.

-if she had died the night that-

I will say it, she said in her mind just as Trueman enveloped her.

-Solex killed me.

Something snapped in her mind. Her eyes opened. "I am- alright?"

She stood up and screamed as she did. Her arms and legs were moving without her input. "No- no, what is this?"

"You did well, resisting. But you fell into despair, and what falls, even if it begins to climb out, belongs to me." Trueman looked her over, appraising her. "Not one of the others was quite this resilient. You will make an excellent other self. Your body belongs to me, and your mind will also in time."

"Never." Kastleneid glared at him, resisting as hard as she could. "Because I have proved you lied just now."

"Lied?"

"My body- will belong to me again. When Solex hurt me, I did not understand what it was to have a 'right' to one's own body and mind. But I do now. I will not surrender it to you. You will have to fight for every inch of it."

Trueman threw back his head and laughed. Kastleneid felt her body tense and begin to walk as a dark portal opened in front of her. She steeled herself as her body leaped through.

-00000000000000000000-

"Well?"

Trueman looked over at his doppelganger. "When we were part of the Source, it was much easier to subsume another Self. That we were able to take control of her body without erasing her completely at all is a testament that we are returning to what we once were."

"But it is also a liability. We must break her will and finish the process immediately." His doppelganger shook his head. "If something were to break our control-"

"Understood. While we work to anchor ourselves in her soul then, I will find something fitting for her to lose herself in." Trueman closed his eyes and dismissed his doppelganger. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he did so. Eyes shut, he scanned for another. He had gathered all he needed, but he felt something still- a source of exquisite despair, and not far off. And more than that, it was something which would become a hindrance to his plans if not addressed. All was aligning. All was becoming clear.

The Truth was emerging before his eyes again.

_Encounter 4: End_

* * *

No deck Profile for this half-chapter.


	5. Chapter 4: B Side

**Encounter 4: B Side**

**"**_Shadow"_

* * *

"I didn't expect it to be so... easy."

Devi's spectral body materialized, floating around Achan to examine him from the outside. _[I am not sure why you are so obsessed with this. After all, it makes very little difference.]_

Achan continued to rummage around, trying desperately to roll up a pair of knee-high socks. "I don't know if it will either. But Kastleneid really did seem excited to help me try this out."

_[I see.] _Devi nodded. _[I admit, I never have had much concern about your gender either way... if you enjoy it, it does no harm to experiment.]_

"Dam straight," Achan confirmed, reaching down to adjust the new outfit's skirt. "Uh... let's see. Do you think the pleated miniskirt is too much? I thought it would go well with the socks."

_[Do remember who you are talking to. I haven't cared about how humans dress for the past four centuries.]_

"Right, thanks for the help then." With the blue skirt in place (the tag in the store had read "Aqua" but as far as Achan was concerned that was just fancy speak for 'pretty light blue that matches my eyes'), Achan grabbed the shirt and parka he had bought. The parka, like his usual hood, had long enough sleeves to cover the designs on his upper arms, and its bright red color contrasted well with his hair. The only major difference was the fact that both it and the shirt cut off above his midriff.

_[People will see you have no navel.]_

"I doubt they'll notice." With the clothes in place, Achan reached up to his hair and closed his eyes. "One last touch..."

A moment later, Achan opened her eyes, then stepped back to view her reflection in the small mirror she had brought out to her tent. "...Heh. Not bad."

Achan's body below her head had been hairless to begin with, so nothing particularly furry stood out to take away from her presentation of standard-girl. The striped knee socks actually fit quite well, and the pleated skirt she had chosen fanned out just high enough not to expose her new undergarments when she twirled to admire it. Her hair had been the biggest issue- but it had been long enough to begin with that a simple comb-through to tame it allowed it to hang down smooth while still covering her right eye. "Might wanna get this hair fixed next time I've got cash but damn, I might do this more often," she muttered. "Devi? Your thoughts?"

Devi looked at Achan curiously. _[I admit, if I enjoyed the company of humans I might find you reasonably attractive right now.]_

Achan's face glowed with approval. "Thanks."

Rex stretched from the corner where he was sunning himself and yawned. Achan grinned. "And that makes two of us... now if we could just get three."

Her face fell.

Devi waggled his wings. _[...She has never been this late before.]_

"I hope she's alright," Achan confirmed. "I thought about visiting, but it's hard to move through town without attracting attention, and she did say she might be busy for a little while with cooking lessons in the evenings. But... she promised she'd be here. She's never late." She clenched her fists. "Devi, should we be looking for her? I mean maybe she's still at home or she's sick or someone-"

_[Achan,]_ Devi cut in. _[Relax yourself.]_

Achan relaxed as much as she was able and failed. Devi continued as his apprentice twitched and paced back and forth. _[We have no guarantee that she was not simply held up. If she is in trouble, her family will let us know. In the meantime it is better for you to calm yourself down and take your mind off of things. Sit down and focus... aha.] _He cleared his 'throat'. _[Achan. It is time for me to teach you how to create sealing tools.]_

Achan stopped mid-pace and blinked. "Seriously? I thought you said that was too advanced-"

_[It is. But it requires utmost focus and it will keep us both calm. Come on, let's get to work.]_

-000000000000000-

"Patrolling a fucking _forest?"_

Rayearth's scarred eyes were permanently closed, but it was easy to tell that she was glaring at her impertinent charge. "I don't like repeating myself. Today's exercise in remedial training is patrolling this forest. If you have a problem with that, feel free to speak up. I'm sure the disciplinary board will enjoy seeing you in front of them again." The incantifer seemed to barely resist licking her lips at the mental image.

Naricka grunted in annoyance, crossing her arms and causing the decorative chains running along them to jangle. "Fine, I get it. Can we just go already? I already know how this is going to turn out. You walk around in front of me for a while, I follow you, we find nothing, and you send me back to my unit with your boot up my ass. That's how it works, right? Can we just skip the bullshit for once?"

Rayearth didn't move or acknowledge Naricka's rant. She stood in front of her, silent and unmoving. "I will not be accompanying you this time."

Naricka opened her mouth to complain, then shut it just as quickly. "The fuck, wasn't this whole remedial thing supposed to be me shadowing you?"

"It can be. But right now I want to test you for something else." Rayearth jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the woods beyond. "Go as far as you can in that direction before you hit the end of the forest, come back, report anything you find to me. Think you can handle that?"

"Heh." Naricka stood up from the moss-covered rock she had been sitting on and flexed her muscles, the chains which ran along her arms and around her neck jingling. "Whatever you want, lady. See you in a few hours, don't wait up for me." The elf launched herself into the treetops, bounding away until she was lost from sight.

Rayearth watched her go, then reached into her coat pocket and removed a cigarette. "Best of luck, brat," she muttered to nobody in particular. "You'll need it."

-00000000000000000-

Naricka moved through the treetops with ease until the branches became too thick to leap through effectively, then allowed herself to drop to the forest floor. "Tch."

The forest stretched out for miles, and there wasn't much of anything interesting in it- at least, not at this time of day, and nothing she could actually arrest. She was savvy enough to avoid the particularly nasty animals and the chances of actually stumbling across a criminal hiding out here were nil. "Fucking busywork. I see how it is. Fine, you want to waste my time, do it."

A red burst of light shot through the air several hundred feet to the west.

Naricka opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again almost as quickly. "'Heh. Alright, so maybe I do get to have a bit of fun today after all."

-000000000000000-

_[Good. The form is almost complete.]_

Devi floated in the air around Achan as she worked. Her eyes twitched slightly, but didn't open as she kept her head bowed in concentration. The magic circle she had drawn in the dirt radiated with sparks of red energy as she sat in it, cross-legged, and focused on the dark mass taking shape between her hands.

_[Every barrier is a seal, however temporary. And every seal begins with a target. There is no such thing as a 'perfect seal'.]_ The words were familiar to Achan, but she nodded anyway. Concentrating on them made the process she was going through more familiar, kept her grounded. _[However, it is possible through concentration and applied knowledge to make a seal's probability of failing or breaking approach zero to an infinitely low point... a success rate of 'Endless Nine'. Very few true seals or long-term seals will ever achieve this, but your goal is always to move closer to that number.]_

Achan moved her hands along the edges of the mass of shadow between her palms, its outlines growing smaller and more rigid. "...keep going," she whispered to Devi.

The kuriboh nodded before continuing, floating over Achan's shoulder. _[In order to reach Endless Nine, the first step is to concentrate and isolate all variables- the type of targets you wish to seal, the number of them, the expected maximum strength, the amount of time between the program's completion and execution. Every one of them must be held in your mind at the same time. Focus on one, then add the second, then the third, then the fourth. Each one you identify brings you closer to understanding the shape your seal must take. Every time you understand that shape a little more, the seal loses its imperfections. Every time you find an error, you must stop and eliminate it. No errors can be permitted in a seal. Once you understand this fundamental...]_

"It's a matter of learning... concentration... and application." Achan finished Devi's lecture for him, then relaxed. "...Seal program, complete. Running first test."

The magic circle beneath her ignited, sending up a plume of red light. The dark mass congealed and solidified into a defined shape, which fell to the ground in front of Achan. Devi swooped down to appraise it and nodded his body with approval. _[As much as I wish I could tease you, you have defied expectations. This is quite a marvelous seal for your first attempt.]_

Achan picked up the sealing focus, examining it. "You really think so?" She barely noticed her face and the tips of her ears growing bright pink.

_[Yes, I do. You should consider creating seals that take this shape more often, you seem to have a natural talent for them. It might have something to do with your familiarity with the source of the focus, of course...]_

"It might at that," Achan admitted as she held the focus up to the light. The duel monsters card she had shaped was completely blank, still waiting to be filled by whatever it would be used to capture.

Rex, who had been napping a few feet away, suddenly leaped to attention and started roaring. After her time with the chimera, Achan had divined that this was his equivalent to barking at strangers. "Rex?"

_[Someone's coming. From the east. And that mutt doesn't recognize them,]_ Devi confirmed.

"I guess Kastle coming to see my progress would have just made today too perfect," Achan muttered. She pulled her hair away from her right eye, which began to glow faintly as she scanned the trees. "...that's funny. I don't really see anyone."

It was at that point when the sword drew up parallel with her throat. "Alright, girlie. Put your hands where I can see them and rub out the magic circle. My name is Naricka and I'm a Chaser. I don't know what you were trying to build or summon, but that was dark magic and I'm taking you in to question you about it."

Instead of answering her captor, Achan glared at Devi. [And how did you not know she was there?]

Devi glared back. _[Never trouble a gentleman about trifles.]_

Aloud, Achan cleared her throat. "I'd seriously put the sword away."

"Are you threatening me, girlie? I'm an official Shadowchaser, scumbags in training like you don't scare me." The voice was brash, overconfident, and as Achan was slowly learning; _incredibly_ infuriating.

"No. I'm not threatening you." Achan coughed and slowly turned her eyes in the direction of her second closest companion. "I just wanted to warn you that my dog- oh." Rex had vanished from her field of vision. "Well, uh. Shit. I'd drop it and run if I were you."

"What the fuck do you- GWAH!"

The sword disappeared from Achan's neck as her captor was borne to the ground with the kind of massive thwump-ing noise that only a bear-sized chimera tackling someone could produce. "I tried to warn you," she said weakly as she turned to assess the damage.

Naricka squirmed as Rex pinned her to the ground with four legs, his tongue lashing out and licking at her face. "You fucking-" she growled, trying unsuccessfully to throw off his weight.

"That's... my dog. Uh. Sorry." Achan rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "He seems to like you, which is a really good thing because I've never actually seen him kill something but those _are_ crocodile jaws and, well. Yeah."

"Fucking-" Naricka lashed out with one of her legs, planting a solid kick into Rex's gut. "HELL!"

Rex yelped in pain- or rather, he made the closest noise to that he could approximate, which was more like a strangled gurgle- and reared back, allowing Naricka to roll free. She spat, throwing her sword off to the side and unlatching the clasp on one of the chains running up her arm. "Pfeh. I hate having to take out the trash!"

The chain lashed out, seeming to triple in size. Before Achan or Rex could react, the chimera's neck was caught within a tight loop. Naricka pulled the length taught, ignoring Rex's protests, and dragged the animal back. "Setting a guard beast on a Shadowchaser, that's gonna get you so much time you're gonna wish you had just let me take you in!"

"...You're hurting my dog."

"Eh?" Naricka turned her attention to Achan, who was standing in place and fixing her with a heavy glare. "What the fuck do you mean your dog?"

"Nobody. Hurts. My. Dog." Shattering glass echoed through the camp as Achan's duel disk appeared, and she raised it. "Devi. Do it. Now."

_[Gladly. This is a rather infuriating woman.]_ Devi's body trembled as he spread his wings. _[By my position as Count, I invoke the ancient rite!]_

Walls of shadow snaked out, ensnaring Naricka and Achan. Rex barked helplessly from the outside, but even that interference was lost after a moment. Naricka snarled. "More dark magic? Are you just going to keep digging this hole for yourself deeper?"

"Fair fight clause," was Achan's only answer.

"...Beg pardon?"

"I said Fair Fight clause. You Shadowchasers have to obey it, right? Kastle told me." Achan hefted her disc, which spun into place, and inserted her deck. "So if I can win this duel- which by the way, I'm imposing no penalty for even though I should because I'm a _nice_ girl like that- you have to go back and report to your superiors and leave me alone. Sound good?"

"Heh. You forgot the other half of that, little girl." Naricka snapped her fingers and the chains she had been using as weapons retracted. The bindings on her left arm trembled and crossed themselves over and under each other, changing shape and molding together until her own duel disk had appeared. Naricka inserted her deck and stared Achan down. "If I win this fight, I get to haul you in. And believe me, once you're in, you're not getting out... and they'll put down that little guard mutt of yours."

Achan's grim expression couldn't have been further from her blushing face from a few hours earlier. "I'd love to see you try."

As much as the two had been at each other's throats earlier, they were both duelists. And duelists knew there was only one way to begin.

"DUEL!"

As Achan reached for her deck, Naricka's hand snaked out, drawing her first card. "Sorry if you wanted to play the whole 'challengers first' card, jailbird, but I think I'd better start us off. Put you out of your misery a bit faster." Naricka placed three cards on her duel disk- one horizontal, two vertical- and the backs of a set monster and two back-row cards shimmered into life in front of her. "Now let's see your lead."

"You're really pushing it." Achan drew her first card and examined her hand, before smirking. "...Hey. I just added you, didn't I? That's awesome, you finally get to come out to play!"

Naricka stifled laughter. "Are you talking to your cards?"

"You should try it sometime, it's enlightening." Achan placed the card in question on her duel disk. "I summon Pitch-Black Warwolf, in attack position!" A howl split the air as Achan's monster appeared- a crouching, humanoid wolf with jet black fur and clad in iron arm-guards and a fur cape. The creature crouched, snarling, as it brandished a hooked black sword in one clawed hand_. (_1600/600)

"When Pitch-Black Warwolf is in play, you can't activate trap cards during the battle phase." Achan snapped her fingers. "Let's go get 'em, big guy! Attack her set monster with _Black Howl!_" The warwolf obeyed Achan's orders instantly, leaping into the air with a keening howl and driving its hooked blade straight through the back of the card in front of it. The set monster that emerged was a silver insect with massive jaws, its body wrapped in metal chains, which let out a high-pitched scream before the sword ripped it to bits. "Wait, that card is-"

"Iron Chain Antlion's effect activates. Thanks for setting him up for me so well, I might just have to offer you a position on the force," Naricka taunted. "When this little card is flipped face up I get to look at the top three cards of my deck, summon any one Iron Chain monster I find there, and place the remaining two on the bottom. And oh, look what I have right here!" With a sickening grin, Naricka held up another card- this one depicting a silver snake bound in the same chains as her antlion. "I special summon Iron Chain Snake in attack position!"

Achan's Warwolf had hardly retreated to its position on the field when the ground in front of Naricka burst, the metal serpent in her hand emerging. (800/0)The angry snake hissed, lunging towards Achan's duel disk and striking her deck. Achan rolled backward just in time to see the snake grab three cards, and spit them into her graveyard slot. "What the hell?"

"The second effect of Antlion sends cards from the top of the opponent's deck to the graveyard equal to the level of the summoned Iron Chain monster. And those won't be the last three cards in your deck I'll take, trust me." Naricka's smirk was unbearably smug. "Well? Anything to say?"

Achan looked at her deck, making a mental tally of the number of remaining cards. "You have a lot of work to do then. I'll set one card and end my turn." (Deck- 32)

"Heh. Well then, it's time for me to get this little show on the road. Draw!" The elf had barely looked at her drawn card before she placed it on the field. "Iron Chain Coil, get out here and do your thing." With a noise best described as a 'sproing', Iron Chain Snake was suddenly joined by a monster who seemed to be a dummy wired together with chains for limbs and a coiled spring for a body. (1000/1200) "Hey little girl... tell me, you got any idea what this is?"

Achan's Warwolf snarled, and Achan bit her lip. "Can't say I don't have an idea what's coming then."

"Heh. Course not." Naricka snapped her fingers. "Coil, get to work. Tuning my level three Iron Chain Coil to my level three Iron Chain Snake!"

Coil's body compressed until it was tightly wound, and then it launched itself into the air. The tuner's body broke into three massive, green rings, surrounding Iron Chain Snake; which hissed as it transformed into three white stars. Naricka began to speak as the stars and rings aligned. "_In the depths of hell, you're the chain that binds the sinners. Synchro Summon!_" A column of light rose into the air behind Naricka and her monster emerged- a gunmetal gray dragon with no limbs save its wings, its body wrapped in the iron chains which held her monsters. "_Drag down the weak, Iron Chain Dragon!_" (2500/1300)

Pitch-Black Warwolf inadvertently flinched away from the monster, and Achan reached out to comfort him. Before she could, Naricka had already selected her next card. "I activate Night Beam!"

A lance of darkness flew through the air, piercing straight through Achan's set card. She could only watch helplessly as it exploded, leaving her without a defense. "D'awww... you wanted to flip that Mirror Force and wipe out my attacking monster, didn't you?" Naricka taunted as Iron Chain Dragon reared back. "Too bad for you! Iron Chain Dragon, sic 'em! _Chain stream!_"

The dragon soared upward, gathering energy into its mouth, and released it. Achan's warwolf turned his back at the last second, shielding her from harm as she stumbled backward, her life points dropping. (8000 – 900 = 7100)

"Iron Chain Dragon sends the top three cards of your deck to the graveyard every time it damages you," Naricka sneered. "Go on, kiss 'em goodbye!"

Achan bit her lip as she looked at the top three cards of her deck- not a single one of them a card she wouldn't have wanted to see in her next turn- and let them slip into her graveyard slot. (Deck – 29)

Naricka continued sneering as she watched Achan discard all three cards. "So tell me, little witch- are you ready to come quietly? I can guarantee you it's going to hurt less than putting up all this resistance."

Achan held her duel disk at the ready. "You just hurt my dog _and_ you pissed off my deck. If anyone here should be worried about getting hurt, it's you."

"I love seeing this kind of spirit in scum." One of Naricka's set cards flipped face up, a bright white light spilling from it. "It makes it so much more satisfying when I show it where its place is. Trap card, Assault Mode Activate!"

Iron Chain Dragon's body began to writhe and squirm as the light from Naricka's trap card surrounded it, seeping into the monster and warping its muscles. Its wings grew wider, the chains surrounding its body moved to accommodate its new forelimbs, and two massive anchors- each attached to a chain itself- appeared in each claw. (3000/1800) "By tributing my monster, I get to summon Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode from my deck. And guess whose battle phase it still is?"

Before Achan could even manage an 'oh shit', Naricka had already pointed at her. "Sic 'em!"

The anchors crashed into Achan's body once, twice, sending her crumpling to her knees and gasping with the pain and shock from the impact. (7100 – 3000 = 4100)

"Awww, did that hurt?" Naricka's voice was sickeningly sweet. "Poor baby. You thought you could take me, but you got in way over your head now, didn't you?"

Achan muttered something through the pain. Naricka cupped her ear and leaned her head closer. "Oh? You'll have to speak up, witch, I don't speak 'whinge'." She pointed to Achan's deck. "Oh and while I'm at it? I'm ending my turn. And during each player's end phase..."

Before Achan could finish getting back on her feet, one of Chain Dragon's smaller chains had whipped out and struck the top of her deck, dragging four cards to the graveyard. "You get to send one card from your deck straight to the graveyard for every single Iron Chain monster in mine! And with four, that's a lot of cards you're losing every round." (Deck – 25)

Achan gasped in pain and dragged herself back to a standing position, then drew. (Deck – 24) "What I said before?" she managed, her face still twisted into a grimace. "It was 'I'm not a witch'. I'm a duelist, and that means I take things down to the final turn! I summon Vagabond Hero, Jill in attack position!" The scarred warrior stood up beside Achan, staring down the much more powerful Iron Chain Dragon with a cold and emotionless glare. (1800/1200)

"Heh. That card's a relic," Naricka snorted derisively. "Hit me with your best shot."

"Gladly." Achan placed her next card into a magic slot. "Equip spell, Megamorph! By equipping this to Vagabond Hero Jill, I can double her-"

"Aaaand you lose." Naricka's expression had become almost predatory. "Trap card, Dark Bribe!"

Achan winced in shock and discomfort as the glowing runes which had begun to attach themselves to Jill shattered. Naricka waved a hand to him. "Dark Bribe negates a spell or trap card you control, but you will get to draw a card. Go on, let's see what else you have in that pitiful little bag of tricks!"

Achan's buoyancy melted as she identified the drawn card. "...I hate you." (Deck - 23)

"I get that a lot. Mostly from little shits like you."

Ignoring Naricka's barb, Achan looked apologetically over to his own monster. "Jill will let me lower her attack points by five hundred during my first main phase. And if she's got fewer attack points than her original attack points, once per turn I can negate her destruction." (1800 – 500 = 1300) Jill huffed, shrinking back and pulling her tattered cloak over her body. Achan looked at her remaining hand cards, and set one of them. "And I'll end my turn there."

"Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode's effect activates!" Naricka licked her lips as her monster's chains lashed out again. Achan winced as four more cards disappeared from her deck into the graveyard. (Deck- 19) "And that's halfway done... not much longer now. Hope you enjoy the view from your cell." Naricka drew, savoring every moment. "Heh. Well, looks like I get to take you in a little early. I summon Iron Chain Repairman!" The monster who rose up next to her dragon was a squat, mustachioed man with dull gray skin. It humphed, brushing off its sooty overalls and hefting a massive sledgehammer over its shoulder, the iron chains holding its trousers up clinking. (1600/1200)

Achan winced, her hand straying toward her set card, but moving away as Naricka continued. "Iron Chain Repairman's got a very _interesting_ little effect. Do it." She snapped her fingers, and her monster brought down his hammer with enough force to crack the ground. A gloved hand emerged, followed by a chain link arm, and finally the rest of Iron Chain Coil. "Once per turn, I can skip his ability to attack to get back my cute little Iron Chain Coil here. And with that-"

"Level three tuner, level four non-tuner. A level seven synchro monster," Achan finished for her. "...Oh shit."

"This is what real dueling looks like, pissant." Naricka snapped again. "Coil, Repairman. Get to work!" Once again Coil launched itself into the air, opening the three gates which aligned with Repairman's four stars. "_Add everything to the heap and crush it! Synchro Summon!_" With a groan, her new monster emerged from the column of light- a winged, horned, and fanged demon welded and riveted together from pipes, boilers, and scraps of sheet metal. "Scrap Archfiend!" (2700/1800)

"Oh no, I'm screwed! With two monsters, you'll be able to defeat Jill this turn, and-" Achan smirked. "Jussst kidding."

As suddenly as Scrap Archfiend appeared, its body rippled and it vanished. "The hell!" Naricka fumed. "What the fuck did you just do?"

"Trap card, Time Slip." Achan slipped a card from her hand into the graveyard, drawing a replacement. "It lets me send a card from my hand to the graveyard to send one of your cards two turns into the future after it's summoned. Then I can draw a card from my deck. You'll get your monster back during your second standby phase after I activated this effect- well." She giggled. "That's assuming you last that long."

"Oh, getting smart now?" Naricka asked through clenched teeth. "Guess I should thank you though. I _was_ waiting for a chance to try this card out. Quickplay spell, Iron Chain Vengeance!"

Achan recoiled in pain as the ground below her burst, chains leaping from it to lash around her ankles and wrists and pulling her to the ground. "W-what the hell," she gasped.

"Feel good? I guess not." Naricka walked to Achan's side, smiling as she knelt down and placed her hand on Achan's deck. "Iron Chain Vengeance can be activated if your card effect removes one of my monsters from the field while I control an 'Iron Chain' monster. And it sends one card from the top of your deck to the graveyard for each and every one of the removed monster's levels." Naricka reached down. "Hey girlie, wanna count them with me? Here's one..."

Achan twisted and fought, but couldn't break the chains as- one by one- Naricka counted each of the cards she was supposed to send to the graveyard, then placed them in Achan's graveyard slot herself. (Deck- 12) At last the chains slackened and Naricka walked back to her own side of the field. Without turning, she yawned. "Oh right... Iron Chain Dragon, go ahead and give 'em a taste of _Iron Chain Punisher._ Why the hell not, right?"

Roaring in the affirmative, Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode launched itself into the air and launched both of its anchors at the crouching Jill. As they struck the cloak, Jill screamed and flew backward. She slammed into Achan's body, and both duelist and monster tumbled over. (4100 – 1700 = 2400)

Naricka waved the last card in her hand back and forth for a moment, taunting Achan before placing it into her duel disk. "Well, I think I've done enough beating on you for now but during my end phase, Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode's effect takes five more cards from your deck." Achan had barely made her way up onto one knee before chains reached out, dragging her down and stealing more cards from her deck. (Deck- 7)

Naricka pursed her lips. "Well. If Rayearth was thinking she'd get me to run away from a pitiful excuse for a witch like you... heh." The elf licked her lips. "Well? Ready to give up?"

"Was about to ask you the same question, oddly enough."

Naricka inadvertently took a step backward as Achan suddenly rolled over and pushed herself to her feet, brushing off the dirt from the fall with apparently no ill effects. Jill did the same, her scarred face lighting up with happiness. "I've got two monster effects to declare." Achan nodded to Jill with gratitude. "First, Jill survives destruction by battle with her effect this turn. And second, those last five cards that you sent to my graveyard had a friend of mine in them I've been dying to get in touch with. I activate Dandylion's monster effect!" A burst of white fluff emerged from the graveyard slot of Achan's duel disk, reshaping itself into two large, white dandelion tufts with innocent faces. "When it's sent there, I can special summon two Fluff Tokens." (0/0) (0/0)

"Heh." Naricka rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're more lively than I expected. It's still over for you though." She pointed to Achan's deck- slim, and down to less than a fourth of the original number of cards in it. "When you end your turn, if I still control Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode? You get another five cards taken from your deck. And if I end mine, you lose another five. This game's over."

Achan smiled. "Gotta admit, I'm impressed. But there's one flaw in that plan you didn't think through. My strongest card is Beast King Barbaros, and he can wipe out every card you control. If he does that, you won't have a chance to use that effect."

Naricka threw back her head, howling with laughter. "Oh, this is fucking rich! Are you listening to yourself? That card's in your graveyard, with half of the rest of that bargain bin shit deck of yours! I sent it there myself!"

"Oh?" Achan drew from her deck. (Deck- 6) "Thanks, you saved me the trouble of looking. This turn is going to feel so fucking good." She placed her hand near her graveyard slot, as a croaking noise filled the air. "It's my standby phase, so I get to special summon a card I sent to my graveyard on my own. Treeborn Frog, get up here and say hello!"

The croaking noises abated momentarily as a card emerged from Achan's graveyard, floating of its own accord to rest on her duel disk. The orange-skinned frog gave one last 'ribbit' before hopping forward, waggling the tiny white wings attached to its back. (100/100)

"And finally, Jill's attack points return to normal during my standby phase." The scarred warrior threw off her cape, flashing her best haughty grin at Naricka. (1800/1200)

Achan looked at the three cards remaining in her hand. "So your name's Naricka, huh? Before I wipe you out, I just want to thank you."

"Thank me?" Naricka facial expression indicated that she couldn't decide whether to laugh or wring her opponent's neck. "You trying to get off easy after pulling all the shit you have?"

"No, not really," Achan replied as she selected one of the cards. "More like... how do I put this. You're a horrible fucking person and I can't stand you, but I can tell that your cards really appreciate you. Even if you just threatened to get my dog killed and dragged me off to prison, I respect you as a duelist and I enjoyed this match."

"Thanks?" Naricka rolled her eyes.

"That said I really hope this hurts." Achan stuck her tongue out. "I activate Monster Reincarnation! I discard one card from my hand, then take a monster from my graveyard and place it there. I'll add Beast King Barbaros from my graveyard to my hand!"

Naricka's expression of disdain vanished, and her face became unreadable as Achan continued her turn. "Next, I tribute my fluff tokens and Treeborn Frog." As all three monsters transformed into spheres of light and rose up together, Achan closed her eyes. "No matter how powerful the enemy is, no matter what-"

"Can you just skip the bullshit and summon already!" Naricka snapped.

"Touchy." Achan frowned, placing her monster on the duel disk. The spheres of light combined and exploded outward, and Beast King Barbaros emerged, roaring. (3000/1200) "Fine. I summon Beast King Barbaros, and I activate his effect. When he's tribute summoned using three monsters, I can destroy every card you control." Barbaros reared back, light gathering around his mane, and roared, sending shockwaves across the field.

Naricka's unreadable expression shifted back into glee. "Toooooooooo bad! Game over!" Her trap card flipped up just as the shockwaves reached. "Interdimensional Matter Transporter banishes my monster, but during the end phase it'll return to the field!" The force from Barbaros's roar impacted Iron Chain Dragon just as a silver, futuristic machine behind it beeped. The dragon dissolved into the air, moved out of the range of the attack.

Naricka, even with her field and hand emptied out, couldn't resist laughing. "You see that, witch? You couldn't have won even with your overgrown cat! You can swing at me all you want but as soon as your turn ends, my dragon comes back- and then it's time for you to sit down like a good little prisoner and watch as I call in the Dangerous Creatures division to get your little 'dog' dealt with."

Achan's only response was to smile as her right eye began to glow with a harsh, golden light. "Well, you just made things more convenient. I thought I was actually going to need two turns to pull this off."

Naricka stopped laughing. "...What?"

Achan removed two cards from her graveyard slot- one depicting a blue racing car emblazoned with a prominent 'D' on the hood, the other Pitch-Black Warwolf. A silhouette of the latter appeared behind her for a moment, growling at Naricka, before vanishing. "I banish my Beast-Warrior type Pitch-Black Warwolf, and my Machine-type Car-D Car from the graveyard in order to special summon this card from my hand. When a wild heart meets a steel resolve, a new power awakens!"

The air in front of Achan crackled with electricity as a black hole opened up, her monster emerging from inside of it. At first, it appeared to be an older, more muscular Barbaros with purple skin and a blonde mane. Then its weapons emerged. The monster's right hand grabbed a heavy, red hand cannon while its right did the same for a thick shield made of the same material. Glowing armor on its chest ran with circuitry. As the monster roared and posed, Achan finished its introduction. "Let's go, my second ace- Machine Beast King, Barbaros Ur!" (3800/1200)

Naricka's jaw began working. "You do know how to read your own cards? That monster can't inflict battle damage. And you don't have anything left in your hand and on your field to negate the eff-"

She stopped mid-word and slowly realization dawned on her. "...no fucking way."

"Number seven from Vengeance," Achan confirmed cheerfully as his graveyard slot ejected yet another card- this one a monster card featuring a golden juvenile dragon clothed in white armor and cowering behind a gleaming shield. "Shield Dragokid, during either of our turns, can be banished from the graveyard to target a monster on the field. Until the end of this turn, that monster isn't affected by any other card effects, but there's one tiny catch." Achan smiled at Barbaros Ur, who returned her grin. "And that little catch is that the targeted monster has its effects negated during this turn as well. I target Machine Beast King Barbaros Ur!"

A bright aura surrounded Barbaros Ur as he roared a challenge at Naricka. Barbaros stepped forward, joining in. Jill, for her part, simply drew her rapier and began polishing it idly with her cloak. Achan looked at her field, satisfied. "And now, since you've got literally nothing left to defend you? Here's _your_ game over!"

Achan's monsters moved almost as one, in a coordinated strike. Jill flew forward, her rapier thrust only barely deflected by Naricka's duel disk. Barbaros and Barbaros Ur charged in concert. Barbaros's lance struck first and drove Naricka back, while Barbaros Ur reared back and slammed his weapon into Naricka's stomach, firing point blank.

Achan couldn't help smiling as Naricka was hurled back several feet, skidding to a halt far outside the boundaries of the shadow game. (8000 – 1800 – 3000 – 3800 = 0)

Devi materialized, cheerfully bobbing his wings to Achan as she collected her cards and returned her duel disk to its sealed state. _[Excellent work. Truly excellent. If only we had a picture of this to remember it by.]_

"I'll just save it in our memory to go over and over again," Achan promised. "Rex, are you okay?"

The chimera's response was to happily tackle his master, bearing her to the ground and licking her cheek again and again. "That's a yes," Achan giggled.

Naricka stirred, holding her side. "...fucking... hell..." The duel disk on her arm dissolved back into chains, which she drew back. "Come the fuck on, that was out of- you cheated! You set me up! This was all a trick!"

"Well. You're right about being set up."

Achan, Naricka, and Rex all froze as they stared in awe at the figure leaned up against a tree just outside the camp. Rayearth tipped her silk hat to Achan. "Marked your camp the other day. Hope you don't mind me borrowing you as a training exercise, consider it repayment for all the cards Tsubasa's been filtering out of his wages if you want."

"...Uh. Right, sure." Achan nodded. "So uh- Rayearth? Why did you send a crazy elf lady after me?"

"I didn't." Rayearth lit a cigarette and puffed gently on it. "Incidentally, Naricka, you just failed your exam."

"I what?" Naricka turned on Rayearth in rage, her teeth clenched and the chains on her arms practically rattling of their own accord. "What the fuck do you mean? All I was doing was trying to bring in a witch using dark magic-"

"Until it is applied in such a way that it constitutes a crime, there is no 'illegal' branch of magic," Rayearth interrupted, "according to the first Amendment of the Great Treaty issued when the subject of the Millenium Items was brought before our courts. But even if this boy here-"

"You're a boy?" Naricka interrupted, turning to Achan.

"Was. Might not be? Just go ahead and say girl for now," Achan explained, waving her hand to Rayearth.

"I see. Even if this _girl_ here were guilty of a crime, you would have failed." Rayearth tapped the end of her cigarette, a few ashes falling to the ground. "My orders for the exercise were to move out in a straight line, come back, and report to _me_ if you saw anything. You engaged right away. That's a complete failure. I'm going to _have_ to recommend you for more remedial training, Naricka." She didn't even bother to hide her grin.

"Fuck. You." Naricka spat. She leaped into the treetops, paused long enough to flip Achan the bird, and then bounded away.

Rayearth sighed and adjusted her hat. "That's one problem dealt with." She turned, preparing to vanish, only to be arrested by a hand on her arm. "What?"

Achan looked up, her face full of concern. "Do you know where Kastleneid is? She was supposed to meet me and-"

"_I'm giving you a night call to tell you how I feel,_

_I'm gonna drive you through the night, down the hills,_

_I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear_

_I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear-"_

Rayearth lifted her phone and answered it. "...What?"

Achan stared in mixed horror and fascination as Rayearth's entire body began projecting a barely-restrained aura of bloodlust. "_I'm going to find him and rip him apart. _Tsuki, Fayte, you two start sweeps in the city. You find so much as a hint of a dark card you start shaking down the person who was holding it until they find out-"

"What the hell is going on?" Achan couldn't help asking.

Rayearth lowered her phone. "Your friend was just attacked by the distributor of the dark cards. We'll have her back by the end of the night. Don't worry yourself about it." With that, she vanished.

Achan stood still, in a state of shock. "Devi," she said at last. "...We have to go after her."

Devi stood still, equally shocked. _[...are you sure?]_

"Of course I am!" Achan exclaimed, aghast.

_[Yes. Of course. How silly of- I apologize, Achan. I am worried about you.]_ Devi looked into the forest. _[Achan. Take a few hours and rest. While you do that, I will attempt to locate any magical signatures that might lead you to Kastleneid.]_

Achan nodded. "...Thanks."

-000000000000000-

**Deck Profiling!**

**Naricka's Deck: **"Assault and Battery"

The Iron Chain archetype has been forgotten by many players since its release, due to its lack of powerful support. Naricka, however, has a special affinity with these monsters and due to several expansions built for them- as well as an expansion of the popular and powerful "Assault Mode" mechanic- has constructed a deviously powerful deck. Her strategies tend to be two-tiered in their focus. The first tier is setting up her most powerful monster as early as she can. The second tier is protecting it while sending as many Iron Chain monsters to the graveyard as possible. While her main focus is deck-out, the high attack points of her ace monster give Naricka's deck some beatdown capability. She also runs several level seven synchro monsters to interact with Iron Chain Repairman's ability to resurrect Iron Chain Coil from her graveyard- notably Scrap Archfiend and X-Saber Urbellum.

**Ace Card: **Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode is a powerful mill card, forcing anyone unfortunate enough to face it to scramble madly to remove it from the field before it can pick up its pace. Outside an Iron Chain deck its effect is limited, but together with the other monsters it has a powerful combination available, sending card after card from the opponent's deck to the graveyard- and not even letting up just because it wasn't the turn player's round. Its component Synchro monster, Iron Chain Dragon, is mostly notable outside the Iron Chain deck theme due to being a level six dragon-type synchro monster, and thus an eligible target for Debris Dragon.

**Homebrew Card Report!**

**Iron Chain Dragon/Assault Mode**

Monster/EARTH/Dragon/Effect/8*

Atk 3000/Def 1800

Cannot be normal summoned or set. Can only be special summoned by the effect of "Assault Mode Activate". During each player's end phase: your opponent sends cards from the top of their deck to the graveyard equal to the number of "Iron Chain" monsters with different names in your graveyard. When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard: you can special summon a card named "Iron Chain Dragon" from your graveyard.

**Iron Chain Antlion**

Monster/EARTH/Insect/Effect/2*

Atk 500/Def 1000

FLIP: Excavate the top three cards of your deck and special summon up to one "Iron Chain" monster among them, and if you do, send cards from the top of your opponent's deck to their graveyard equal to the level of that monster. Then place the remaining cards on the bottom of your deck in any order.

**Iron Chain Vengeance**

Quickplay Spell

Activate only when a monster you control is removed from the field while you control an "Iron Chain" monster. Send cards from the top of your opponent's deck to the graveyard equal to the level of the removed monster. Each player can only use the effect of Iron Chain Vengeance once in a duel.

**Shield Dragokid**

Monster/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect/3*

Atk 0/Def 1400

During either player's turn you can banish this card in your graveyard to select a face-up monster on the field: If you do, its effects are negated, but it is not affected by any other card effects. These changes last until the end phase. Each player can only use the effect of "Shield Dragokid" once per duel.

* * *

_**Special Author's**** Note**_

When I first posted this chapter this Author's Note did not exist because I did not consider it necessary. As you have probably noticed, this chapter contains a fairly significant revelation about Achan as a character. It's significant because I didn't actually begin Encounters entirely because of my fandom for the Backwater stories, or for Kastleneid- though my esteemed co-author's writing definitely did kickstart things. I began Encounters (and also that IS this fanfic's actual name, TV Tropes- "Backwater Parallels" is the series it belongs to) because I needed an outlet to express a few things that have been rattling around in my head off and on since coming out.

I'm a girl.

I'm a boy.

Exactly two of these statements are true.

This little bit of linguistic 'impossibility' is actually on my Dueling Network profile, mostly because it forces the reader to think about gender in a way that isn't strictly binary. Someone can be more than one thing. Someone can be neither of the two. Someone can be one gender while expressing traits usually associated with the other. Someone can be a completely different gender than their sex.

And that, as much as anything, is part of why I wrote Encounters. I needed to write a character who I could explore that kind of non-binary gender idea with.

Enter Achan.

Today when I checked the TV Tropes character page for Backwater, the trope for "Ambiguous Gender" under Achan had been edited from its previous version. The first entry read "technically has no physical gender, but has a male personality". This was not strictly true, but I could understand the mistake- after all, the story used male pronouns for Achan consistently up until now. I assumed there would be an edit to reflect this once I posted the current chapter. There was. That line, as of my posting this note, now reads:

"Technically, he has no gender at all, but has a male personality initially, and does experiment with a female one."

No. Achan does not have a "male personality". She does not "experiment" with a female one.

Achan expresses both a male and a female gender identity. Achan is in the process of _transitioning._ She has a much easier time of it than real people with any sense of gender dysphoria do, but when Achan decides to think of and present herself as a girl she is not a male pretending to be a female. Achan is literally adopting a new gender identity. For all intents and purposes, Achan is female. Achan is a woman._  
_

Achan was never "male". That would imply that it was the 'real' one because it was the first one she expressed. That's not the truth.

So to whoever edited that TV Tropes page, thank you for your attempt to correct that line. But no, this is not just 'an experiment' any more than a trans person living for a year as a woman or man during their transition process is 'just' an experiment. Achan is a girl. Treat her as such.

I expect I'll get a few questions asking about my own gender identity after adding this line, to which my response is to point at that little bit of "impossibility" from my DN profile. My friends know who I am. As for anyone else, that profile is all I feel comfortable sharing.

Thank you.

-Scarlet.

P.S. "Scarlet Weather", not "Scarlet Weatherman". I dropped the "-man" from it for a reason.


	6. Chapter 5

**Encounter 5**

**"**_Interruption"_

Achan ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Kastleneid.

Kastleneid had been taken.

Kastleneid, who had spent the last few weeks dueling Achan and had only recently earned her first win.

Kastleneid, who had been with Achan when she bought the skirt she was wearing, who had found Achan the parka.

Kastleneid, who still sometimes shivered when she fell asleep and who sometimes seemed to flinch away when you touched her in the wrong place, her body still remembering what had happened before her mind had truly formed.

Kastleneid, who cried tears that were little ice crystals.

Kastleneid, who could name every ingredient in a piece of food the moment it touched her tongue.

Kastleneid, whose voice was always even and passive but whose passions ran deeper than words.

Kastleneid.

Achan screamed in frustration and anger and impotence.

She should have been there. Now it might be too late.

_[It is not too late.]_ Devi's voice echoed in Achan's mind. _[Achan, you are panicking. You will do her no good in this state.]_

"It's my fault!" Achan's voice was thick and choked, and despite the tears at the edge of it she continued running. "It's my fault! If I had just done something, anything-"

_[It is not your fault.]_ Devi spread his wings out and glared at Achan. _[You did nothing. You had no way of knowing she would be a target for an individual like this. And her family will have done what they can to safeguard her. Moreover, Kastleneid is not so fragile as to completely be destroyed in an instant. Do not focus on what could have been. Focus on now, Achan. Focus on saving her.]_

"Right." The word was still choked and Achan was still running as hard as she could, but she managed it. "Right. We're going to save her." The last bit was more to herself than Devi.

_[Of course we are.]_ Devi flew out a short distance in front of Achan. _[Remember Achan, you are my apprentice. Together, there is nothing in the world we cannot protect.]_

"Devi..."

A tear splashed to the ground, and then another, and another. And Achan still ran on. "Thanks. I- I was about to lose it there, wasn't I?"

_[A little.]_

In spite of herself, Achan responded with a strangled chuckle. "Yeah. I wish I could take Rex with, but he might get hurt..."

"You concern yourself too much with things like that, boy."

Achan's heart froze and her feet ground to a halt, her desperate run petering out into a few awkward steps. "Who are you?" she managed as she scanned the area around her.

"Good evening, son of ADAM." The speaker seemed to float to the ground as he leaped from an outstretched branch. He was a young man, perhaps Tsubasa's age, but the expression he wore gave him an air of maturity and confidence. His blonde hair was quite long, and held back in a ponytail that ran past his shoulders. Despite being in the forest in the middle of the night, he was dressed in a white suit and dress shoes which seemed more suited to a performance of an opera. He raised his gloved hands, revealing a cracked, leather grimoire, and bowed his head to Achan. "I have come here tonight to test you."

"Son of Adam? I don't get it-" Achan frowned, then the implication came through. She leaped back, clenching her hand into a fist. "_Lock!"_

A red halo of light materialized and began to compress itself around the stranger's body. He smiled, flipping the book open, and read off a string of words. His voice was haunting and low, and the syllables of the words he strung together were meaningless to Achan.

Devi flinched, his eyes closing in shock. _[how-?]_

The halo of light vanished. Achan took a step back, pulling her bangs away from her right eye. "Who are you?" she repeated.

"You do not remember me, son of ADAM. But I remember you. I am-" the man stopped, seeming to take in Achan's appearance for the first time. "...Aaah, no. My mistake. You are not ADAM's son at all. This is a great surprise. To date you are the only time any of ADAM's children were not of the same gender as their partner." He smiled. "_Wonderful_."

Achan continued to step back. [Devi, what was that he did before?]

The kuriboh had recovered, but was on the verge of panicking himself. _[...This is the worst case scenario. That man not only knows of the ADAM Project, but if that volume in his hands can counteract my abilities- it must be a reproduction of the Lesser Key of King Solomon. But all existing copies of that should have been destroyed!]_

The stranger held the book open, lowering his head. Another string of words emerged from his mouth. Achan felt herself back up into something solid and stopped. She took a step forward, turned around, and with horror realized a bright red magic circle had traced itself on the ground. "Devi, what are you-"

_[This is not me. With that book in his hands he can wield my power freely as if it were his own.]_ Devi's eyes blazed with fury. _[King Solomon's Lesser Key- a cruel tool that forces beings not of this earth to act as puppets. I was impressed enough by Solomon to trust him as my king, but this man seeks to destroy us both.]_

"Do not worry." The strange smiled, holding up his hands as if he had heard Devi's harsh words. "I will not recapture you, nor do I intend to take your power from you. Should you prove worthy and pass my test, I will even destroy this book in front of you. It is the last of its kind."

"Test?" A shattering noise echoed as Achan summoned her duel disk, an intense feeling of relief washing over her when the stranger did not counter it. "What do you mean, test?"

"I want to see how much you have grown, daughter of ADAM." The man stepped to one side, revealing a silver briefcase. He opened it with his free hand and removed a standard duel disk from it. Before putting it on, he looked into the Lesser Key's pages and spoke a few words.

Devi screamed as he thrashed back and forth in pain. Achan nearly rushed forward, but stopped as she realized the stranger had taken the precaution of erecting a smaller barrier circle around himself. "What did you do?"

The man smiled and fit the duel disk onto his arm. "I apologize. I simply needed to make sure you would not interfere with my preparations for the test," he explained as he inserted a deck into it, the disk lighting up. "The terms for this test will be simple. Duel me. Should you overcome the trial I set for you, you will pass. Should you fail to overcome it, you will fail the test as well." He snapped his fingers, canceling whatever spell he had cast. Devi's wings drooped and he faded away, too tired to directly manifest for the time being.

"What-" Achan's face grew pale, and her expression turned into a snarl. "Fuck you, no! You don't understand! Kastlen- my friend, she's in danger! I need to be with her right now!"

"You will prove more than capable of rescuing her, assuming you pass," the stranger consoled her. "Well? Will you continue to argue and waste time, or will you rise to the challenge?"

"Shit," Achan muttered as she activated her own duel disk and its auto-shuffler engaged. "Fine. I accept your duel, you- who are you?"

"You may call me..." the stranger raised a hand to his chin and muttered something under his breath. Then he smiled and lowered his hand. "Aha! You may call me Evan. Is that satisfactory?"

"Evan." Achan drew her opening hand. "Alright then. You caught me on a really bad night, Evan, so you'll have to forgive me if I beat you down fast!"

"Nothing would make me happier," Evan replied, his smile still in place as he drew his hand. "Let the test begin!"

Both players squared up, and the shout rang out. "Duel!"

As Achan drew her first card, Devi materialized briefly over her shoulder. His body heaved in and out for a few seconds. _[Achan, I cannot help you from this point in. Be careful. But remember- you can save her.]_

Achan's response was to nod and begin her turn. "I'll set a card and summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard, and then end my turn." One by one her cards appeared before her, Celtic Guard drawing its blade with a grunt. (1400/1200). She raised her head to meet Evan's eyes. "Your turn."

Evan drew, clicking his tongue. "How disappointing. I had hoped for a stronger lead turn. However, if all saving your friend spurs you to do is cower away, I will be happy to show you the kind of strength you should be demonstrating I activate the quickplay spell card, Celestial Transformation." A pillar of white light opened in front of him, an indistinct form in the center. "This card allows me to special summon a fairy-type monster from my hand, but its attack points are halved and it will be destroyed during the end phase of this turn. My target will be this card."

The white light broke apart, revealing a strange creature shaped like a winged lion, complete with an ivory-white 'mane'. Its robotic body was forged of coral pink and pearl white armors, it lacked any definite 'facial' features, some of its parts seemed to hover in place in the air rather than connect to the body. (2400/2 = 1200/1400)

Achan felt her entire body stiffen. "This tactic is-"

"My second quickplay spell card. Inferno Reckless Summon." Two more columns of white light erupted on either side of Ohka. "This card can be activated whenever I special summon a monster with one thousand five hundred attack points or less. I can special summon any other copies of that monster I happen to have in my hand, deck, or graveyard. You may do the same with any face-up monster you control- but I see from your expression you do not have more than one of that monster." A smirk appeared on his lips for just a moment before disappearing. "From my deck, I summon two more Majestic Mech Ohka."

The columns broke apart, and all three of Evan's monsters advanced forward- each one identical to the next. A strange singing roar came from their bodies. (2400/1400)

Achan's hand strayed to Celtic Guard, but she said nothing, staring down the advancing force.

"Aaah, I see. Your monster can protect you even from these powerful attackers? It would be interesting to find out. However, I have a better option." Evan gestured to the original Ohka he had summoned and the one to its right. "Using these two level six monsters, I will construct an overlay network." Both angelic mechs rose into the air, their bodies transforming into streams of light which were absorbed by the overlay nexus. "I Xyz summon Constellar Ptolemy M7!"

A proud-looking machine emerged from the nexus, this one forged into the shape of a dragon and armored with white, black, and gold. The creature spread its blue, armored wings and roared as a sphere of golden light floated up to its mouth. (2700/2000) As it snapped it up and began gathering energy in its mouth, Evan directed its attention toward Achan's set monster. "Constellar Ptolemy M7 can detach an Xyz material once per turn to force a monster from either player's field or graveyard back to their hand. Naturally, my target is your Celtic Guard. _Star trail!_"

Achan threw up her hands, shielding herself from the burst of light Ptolemy had released. When she lowered them, her monster card had vanished from her duel disk and returned to her hand, and Evan's monsters were already upon her. She had no time to react before the lion and dragon struck, Ohka slamming itself into her body and Ptolemy striking her with a mechanical tail. She fell to her knees, coughing as the wind rushed from her lungs. (8000 – 2400 – 2700 = 2900)

"I set one card, and end my turn." Evan sounded almost disinterested as he did so. "It is your move."

"D-draw," Achan coughed as she scrambled to her feet and began her turn. Her face began to cloud over. "Kastle..."

"You will never make it in time unless you start dueling seriously," Evan noted as he began inspecting his nails. "You have already been pushed past your safety line in life points. What will you do to counter this?"

Achan closed her eyes.

_Think calmly. Don't let him get to you. He hasn't won yet._

_That set card isn't enough of a threat not to begin attacking. And if you don't attack now, the game is going to be over for you instantly. You need to destroy Ptolemy M7. Everything else is afterward._

_Block out your distractions. Block out your fears. Your hand has what you need to win this. Use it._

Achan opened her eyes, her right eye releasing a harsh, golden glow. "Both of your monsters are Light-attribute. Since that's true, I can special summon Alector, Sovereign of Birds from my hand!" A rush of wind surrounded Achan and a humanoid bird emerged from it, clad in serrated silver armor and sporting enormous, crimson wings. (2400/2000) "Then, I special summon Gilasaurus from my hand. When he's special summoned this way, you're allowed to special summon a monster card in your graveyard." Alector was immediately flanked by a small, rather scrappy-looking brown dinosaur, who snapped its T-Rex-like head forward and licked its lips. (1400/1000)

"I will, of course, summon the Majestic Mech Ohka I detached from Ptolemy last turn back to the field in attack position," Evan replied. The majestic mech burst from the ground beside Ptolemy, roaring a challenge and causing Gilasaurus to shrink back in alarm.

Achan clenched her free hand into a fist. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you before. I release Gilasaurus and Alector!" Her monsters transformed into spheres of light and combined together as she raised her next card over her head. "When a heart is filled with righteous anger, it breaks apart everything in its path. I tribute summon Tyrant Dragon!"

The bronze dragon landed on the field with a crash as it materialized, scoring the ground beneath it with its claws. It spread its massive wings, reared up on its hind paws, and let loose a burst of flame into the night air. (2900/2500)

"Aaaaah." Evan nodded with approval. "Excellent choice."

"Tyrant Dragon, let's start tearing him down. Attack Constellar Ptolemy M7 with _Tyrant Blaze!_" The dragon needed no second urging, launching itself into the air and gathering up air into its lungs. Ptolemy M7 reared back as well, and both monsters launched their attack at the same time- a stream of blazing heat striking a bolt of light. The flames exploded outward, creating a shockwave which struck Ptolemy and shattered it to pieces. (8000 – 200 = 7800)

"Of course, thanks to your use of Gilasaurus I can always overlay these remaining Ohka for another Xyz summon," Evan noted. "What will you do from here?"

Achan pointed to the Ohka which had remained on the field in attack position. "If my opponent still controls a monster after it destroys a monster as a result of battle, Tyrant Dragon can attack one more time. _Tyrant Blaze!_" The next bolt of white hot fire consumed Ohka instantly, barely leaving any scrap behind. (7800- 500 = 7300)

Evan barely flinched as his second monster was destroyed, instead nodding and pursing his lips. "I see. Unfortunately, I'm not quite satisfied with your progress yet."

Achan fought to control her emotions as she set another card. "Why couldn't you just wait until after I rescued my friend?"

"Because it was time to administer this test." Evan smiled and drew. "And it is not over yet. I will switch my remaining Majestic Mech Ohka to defense position, then set one more monster card. This will conclude my turn." The new card appeared just as Ohka knelt, covering its body with its wings.

Achan released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

_Wait._

_Why am I breathing so strangely? Why do I keep pausing? What's going on?_

_Am I..._

_...Afraid?_

_No way._

_Not during a duel._

_I've never been afraid of dueling._

"My turn. Draw!" Achan shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard, in attack position!" At his master's command, the elvish warrior appeared in a swirl of golden light and readied his blade. (1400/1200)

"Ah, him again. Your plan during the first turn was to use that card to defend yourself." Evan nodded, pursing his lips again. "However-"

"Tyrant Dragon, destroy that last Ohka!" Achan's command interrupted Evan and her dragon took flight, launching yet another volley of flame. Ohka let out one metallic screech before it was completely consumed.

Achan pointed to the next set card, looking up at her soaring dragon. "Since you destroyed a monster you can attack again- so wipe that one out too, Tyrant Dragon! _Tyrant Burst!"_

Once again the dragon's head snaked back. Once again a stream of flames smashed into the enemy monster, consuming them. For a moment, it appeared the attack had gone well. Then the moment passed.

Achan felt her heart skip a beat. "That's Gellenduo!"

The two creatures floating on the opposite field were not in and of themselves particularly frightening. One of them, a squat, pink creature with two small braids of blue hair, pouted as it attempted to wipe soot stains off the halo of light surrounding its middle. It was assisted by a bright green creature with a single braid of blue. (1700/0)

"Unfortunately for you, daughter of ADAM, you will have to face whatever is causing your body to tremble so much." Evan smiled at his monster. "Gellenduo cannot be destroyed by battle."

Achan looked down at her right hand. It was shaking uncontrollably, and she resisted the urge to drop her cards and seize it. "I'm not frightened."

"I did not say you were. That tremble may well be from excitement." Evan continued smiling. "Well?"

Achan clenched her right hand into a fist. "Turn. End."

"Thank you. It is my turn once again, then." Evan drew, but barely bothered to look at the identity of the card. "When Gellenduo is tributed for a light-attribute monster, it can be treated as if it were two separate tributes. I release my Gellenduo." Both pink and green creatures were swallowed up by their halos, transforming into orbs of light which combined together. Four regal, white feathered wings emerged from the center of the light. These were followed by a tall, imposing, golden armored body of an angel. The creature lifted her left arm, the holy staff in it shining. "And with it, I tribute summon Splendid Venus." (2800/2400)

Tyrant Dragon snarled, shrinking back from the imposing angel, and Celtic Guardian took a step back as well, holding his blade as well as he could. Achan clenched her free hand into a fist so tightly it began to hurt as her monsters grew weaker. (2400/2000) (900/1200)

"As long as Splendid Venus remains in play, all non-Fairy type monsters will have their attack points reduced by five hundred. Even your strongest cards will not be able to defeat it in battle." Evan pointed to Achan's Titan Dragon. "Splendid Venus, obliterate Tyrant Dragon with _Holy Wave!_"

Venus's four wings pulled back, then flapped forward. A golden windstorm erupted along the field. It grabbed Tyrant Dragon, swept his body into the air and away. Tyrant dragon came down with a crunch, its entire body shattering into glass-like fragments and vanished. Achan threw up her hands, shielding herself. (LP: 2900 – 400 = 2500)

"This will conclude my turn." Evan smiled at Achan. "The true test of your ability begins here, I am afraid."

"Draw."

_You can't fall back here._

_She needs you. Devi needs you._

_But. But my hand's shaking. It's never shaken this much, This duel... this... this duel._

_What the hell is wrong with this duel?_

"Take as long as you need to make your move. Remember, this duel is merely a test," Evan consoled Achan.

Achan spat. "G- _fuck. You._" She pointed to her two set cards. "First, I activate Call of the Haunted to revive Alector, Sovereign of Birds from the graveyard." The ground in front of Achan cracked and a burst of wind rushed from it, heralding the arrival of Alector. The armored sovereign stared Venus down, even as her light began to decrease his power. (2400 – 500 = 1900/2000)

Beside Alector, a rumbling sound disturbed the earth. A massive robot lumbered out from the cracked earth, its iron body all round shapes and hard iron. Three massive cavities on its chest suggested that gears could be attached to it, but for now it was quite immobile. "Stronghold the Moving Fortress, when I activate it, special summons itself to the field as a trap monster." (0/2000)

Evan's smile didn't falter or vanish. "Ah. You have acquired three monsters."

"I tribute Obnoxious Celtic Guard, Alector, and Stronghold!" Achan's right eye had already taken on a golden glow as her three monsters transformed themselves into spheres of light, combining together. "Roar, Beast King Barbaros!"

The light parted, revealing Barbaros at its center. Snarling, the lion-man reared up and roared, his lance and shield reflecting the moonlight. (3000/1200)

"Barbaros, when tribute summoned using three monsters, automatically destroys every single card you control." Achan pointed to Splendid Venus, who seemed unbothered by the energy Barbaros was gathering as he inhaled. "_Roar of Triumph!"_

"You have already failed."

Achan's breath caught in her throat. "What?"

Evan's set card flipped face-up as he discarded a single card from his hand. "Divine Wrath."

Just as Barbaros would have released his roar, a thunderbolt descended from the heavens and struck him. The beast warrior held up his shield in time to deflect the first bolt. Then a second struck. Then another. Then another. Slowly the shield began to crack, unable to bear the assault. Barbaros turned, managing to give Achan a single, apologetic stare, and then roared in pain as his shield split apart and the divine judgment Evan's trap card had unleashed tore him to pieces.

Achan stared in horror at the scorched spot in front of her where her monster had stood. Her right eye lost its golden light, fading back into a dull blue.

"Divine Wrath allows me to discard a single card from my hand to negate the effect of a monster and destroy it. Of course, if you had negated Venus's effect with Alector, you could have anticipated my use of the trap and simply held out using Celtic Guard to defend yourself." Evan shook his head. "Tch, tch. This is quite disappointing as a performance. You had far more spirit against that young girl at the theater, or even earlier when you fought that obnoxious woman and her chain deck."

"...I-" Achan's voice caught in her throat. "I set one card. And that- uh. That ends my turn."

"And begins mine. Draw." Evan idly considered the identity of the cards in his hand. "Hmph. Nothing particularly interesting. Splendid Venus, attack her life points directly. As for you, Daughter of ADAM, this test is a failure."

Venus's arm rose slowly, methodically upward and light began to gather around it. Achan shielded her eyes.

_But in half an hour, Kastle will-_

Something began to click. "I'm not afraid of you," Achan said, half to herself.

"That is immaterial. You have failed."

"No. I was afraid. But it wasn't of you."

Venus's arm had leveled with Achan. The burst of holy light arced toward her.

"I was afraid of failing because- because someone else's life was on the line, not mine!" Achan gritted her teeth as the blast rushed toward her, ready to impact. In desperation she looked at the last card in her hand, and realization dawned on her. Just as the attack would have struck, Achan discarded her last defense. "Devil Kuriboh's monster effect activates! _Seal Impact!_"

The holy blast struck, sending a cloud of dust across the field for a moment. When it cleared, Devi had materialized, his wings growing out to shield his body. _[…I was hurt, not dead, Achan. Do not forget about me so quickly.]_

"Ehe. Sorry," Achan replied, brushing herself off. The tension from moments before had faded away to almost nothing, and even the golden glow of her right eye had returned. "I got a little careless. Devil Kuriboh's monster effect cancels the battle damage I would have received, and then both of us take damage equal to half that total." (2500 – 1400 = 1100)

Evan, far from appearing disappointed, was quite pleased with the development. "Superb. You have finally begun to demonstrate a desire to fight seriously." (7300 – 1400 = 5900) He selected a card from the last two remaining in his hand. "I will activate Sanctuary in The Sky, then end my turn."

The forest surrounding Achan was swallowed instantly, replaced by an idyllic vision of heaven. Angels flew from cloud to cloud overhead, and rising up behind Evan's body was a shining, silver city. Achan bit her lip. "And while this card is face up, battle damage from a battle involving a fairy-type monster becomes zero."

"Correct. And now, I leave you to your turn." Evan smiled, encouragingly. "You have used up your hand and have only a set card. If you wish to pass this test on the first try, show me what you can do with such sparse resources."

Achan pointed to her trap. "During your end phase, I'll activate Force of Will!"

A burst of blue light shot from the trap. Achan braced herself, then screamed out in pain as an electrical charge raced across her body. She wavered, but did not fall to her knees. Instead, she reached for her deck. "If- Force of Will- is my last- card- in. Play," Achan continued to grit her teeth as she drew a single card. "I can cut. My own life points. To one hundred-" A second draw. "To draw. Three. Cards!" With her last draw, the electricity subsided. (1100 – 1000 = 100)

Evan made no response, simply regarding Achan with a certain sense of detachment. He pocketed the last card in his hand, reaching into the briefcase at his feet to produce a notepad which he began scribbling in.

Achan's body heaved as she drew for her turn. Her new hand felt good- alive. Full of possibility.

_He activated Sanctuary in the Sky for a reason. That last card in his hand probably interacts with it. In that case... it's probably some sort of 'hand trap' that will protect his monster. So there's still an element of risk at play here. But all I can do-_

"I discard one card from my had to special summon this monster." A whirlwind kicked up in front of Achan and then dissipated, revealing a monster clad in gaudy black and yellow with a blank face, a red question mark emblazoned both on its face-plate and chest. The Tricky bowed, the bells on its fool's cap jingling and its blue cloak swirling in the night air. (2000- 500 = 1500/1200)

The monster's magnificent entrance was suddenly interrupted when it began leaping and cavorting about, scratching at its back. Its cloak flew up and a large insect resembling a ladybug with a single star-shaped on its back spilled out from underneath and landed on the ground, rolling about as it tried to right itself. (600 - 500 = 100/0) "Since The Tricky is level five, I can reduce its level by one and special summon Level Eater to the field," Achan explained.

Evan continued to take notes, at this point barely paying attention to the action on the field.

Achan clenched her free hand until her nails dug into her palm. "...Hey. Pay attention to me."

"Unnecessary. This test is almost complete. Your moves from this point forward are a mere formality," Evan responded in a bored tone. He scribbled another note.

"Spell card, Enemy Controller." Achan pointed to her Level Eater, who had just managed to right itself. "I'm going to tribute one of my monsters in order to take control of one of yours. Level Eater, thanks for your help. Splendid Venus..."

Level Eater gave one pitiful chirp before it burst into shards of light, which reshaped themselves into a comically large game controller. A long cord reached out, plugging into Splendid Venus's abdomen as the controller's buttons began to work of their own accord. Achan spread out her arms. "Come to my field!"

Evan looked up from his notepad, slightly bemused. "An interesting tactic. But what will you do now that you control my monster? Even if both of your cards attack directly, I will have enough life points to survive the turn. Do you intend, perhaps, to tribute both cards for a new monster?"

Achan looked at the green-bordered card in her hand. "No, but I'm still going to bring this duel to an end this turn. Watch!" She played her final in hand card and pointed to Splendid Venus. "I activate Advance Draw. By tributing a level eight monster, I draw two cards from my deck!"

Something resembling a smile finally spread across Evan's face. "...Phenomenal. So that was your plan."

Venus spread her four wings wide and rose into the air as she was consumed by light, her body fading away. Achan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and drew.

When she re-opened them, her right eye's golden glow had become more intense, deepening to a bright orange. "This is it. I activate the spell card Hidden Armory, sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard in order to search it for an equip spell and add it to my hand." Carefully, Achan turned the top card of her deck over and discarded it. Her duel disk beeped, automatically searching out the card she wanted and offering it to her. "That spell is Axe of Fools."

"I see. A card which negates the equipped monster's effect, but gives it a boost of a thousand attack points. Intended as a combination with Beast King Barbaros." Evan moved to return to his notes. "However-"

"I banish the Machine Lord Ur I just sent to the graveyard and Beast King Barbaros," Achan interrupted, her voice deadly calm, "and I will special summon the most powerful monster in my deck."

Barbaros burst from the soil beneath Achan's feet, howling. At the same time a new monster- a sleek, red automaton whose body was all peaks and sharp angles- burst up beside it. The mechanoid split as Barbaros dropped his lance, and it transformed into a suit of armor which attached itself to the Beast King. Barbaros reached out and grabbed the last part of the monster, a floating arm cannon, and leveled it at Evan. "Roar, Machine Beast King Barbaros Ur!" (3800/1200)

Evan looked up from his notes and blinked. "...Oh. This is..." He licked his lips. "This is quite satisfactory."

Achan ignored him, placing her last card in her duel disk. "By equipping Barbaros Ur with my Axe of Fools, his effect will be negated and he'll gain one thousand attack points. Since I removed Splendid Venus from the field, The Tricky's attack score returns to normal. And that means my monsters have enough attack points to end things here." She looked to The Tricky, then to Ur. "...Come on, you guys. Let's save Kastle."

The Tricky needed no second urging and lunged through the air, delivering a painful sidekick to Evan's neck. The scientist made no move to counterattack as the monster leaped back to Achan's side. (5900 – 2000 = 3900)'

Achan's beast-warrior lowered his cannon, and seemed to smile as he growled. He raised the Axe in his opposite hand and hurled it forward, adding a blast from the cannon for good measure.

Evan spread his arms as if to accept the merciless attack heading toward him. "An excellent play. However..."

The orange gleam in Achan's right eye disappeared. "No way"

"It was ultimately futile."

Barbaros's attack was scattered as a wall of blue feathers sprang up in front of Evan, shielding him. Achan caught sight of a young, blue-winged angel on the card Evan slipped into his graveyard slot. "Dark Seraph Miseres activates her effect. While I control Sanctuary In the Sky, I may send her from my hand to the graveyard to negate a direct attack on my life points. And furthermore-"

Achan frantically looked at her own graveyard slot, trying desperately to find an answer.

"-if it was the second direct attack of that turn or more, my opponent will take damage equal to the difference in our life points."

Achan could only scream in pain as the phantom of a young, female angel clad in ragged, grey robes materialized in front of her and released a bolt of divine lightning at point-blank range. The Tricky and Barbaros Ur turned in alarm, but had no time to assist Achan before the duel ended and their bodies dissolved. ( 100 – 3800 = 0)

Achan fell to her knees. "N-no way..."

Evan walked forward across the barrier, reading words from the Lesser Key. Red halos of light bound Achan's arms to her side, preventing her from moving them. Achan could do nothing but cringe as he reached out his hand toward her head-

-and ruffled her hair.

"Congratulations. You have passed."

Achan's breath caught in her throat. "...W-what?"

"I never stated that winning the duel was itself the condition for passing. I came her to test you and ensure that you had the will necessary to survive to completion. Fortunately, you do. Of the seven, you always were the most promising, my daughter." Evan smiled, this time with almost a hint of paternal affection.

Achan struggled against the seals binding her, trying to wriggle backward. "Let me go then, I have to go protect-"

"You are in no condition to protect anyone." There was a note of sadness in Evan's voice, and he shook his head. "No condition whatsoever. I am afraid that while you passed the _test_, you are not yet worthy of your title. Fortunately, I have come here to correct that."

Devi's body materialized. _[Evan- or whatever or whoever you are- do not do this! I beg you, do not do this! She is inexperienced, but she will grow in time! Don't hurt her-"]_

"You have been using my daughter as a vessel to preserve your consciousness, have you not? By now you should have been completely absorbed," Evan responded, coldly regarding Devi. "You were not meant to be more than a battery for her power. You have overstepped that role. Be _grateful_ that all I am doing to you is returning you to your proper place."

Achan struggled harder. "Devi!"

The kuriboh's body shuddered. _[Do not do this! You are not only hurting her, you are dooming her only friend! Do not do this! Do not-]_

Evan opened the Lesser Key and spoke a long string of words. He ended them with three syllables that seemed to echo in the air for a moment.

"_Ronove."_

Devi's eyes dilated and his body began to flicker. Achan twisted, trying to reach him. "Devi?"

No response.

"Devi!"

No response.

"_Devi!"_

"Ronove cannot hear you right now," Evan explained as he began leafing through the Lesser Key. "I have 'turned him off' for the moment. What I will be doing next would have been incredibly painful to him otherwise."

Achan's body went slack in her bonds. She felt tears beginning to run down her face. "Why? Why?"

"For your sake, my daughter. If you hate me for it, then hate me." Evan walked forward, examining Devi's body. His notepad came out again and he scribbled several small details in it before stowing it away. "I will bear that hatred. If you wish to kill me for it, then kill me. I will accept my death. However, I will not allow you to turn away from who you are. You are my daughter, the Supreme King. I will guide you until you reach that point. You seem to have been under the mistaken impression the spirit here was your friend. In truth, he was a mere parasite, a consciousness leeching power from you. Did you not wonder why he slept? Each time he did, he was attempting to steal more and more of the essence which is now yours from you, drain you of a little bit of your power. He locked much of what was rightfully yours away. He might even have planned to eventually use you as a vessel for his rebirth."

"Devi would never-"

"Ronove would dare. He was selected due to his ruthlessness in the conflicts twelve hundred years ago." Evan raised his hand. "Now say farewell."

Achan could hardly speak through the tears. "Please-"

Before she had reached 'don't' the pain struck her, as if a sledgehammer had driven a bolt through her skull. She heard screaming and only a minute later did she realize it was her own. Devi's body writhed in pain beside her, but lifelessly. It was as if he was a marionette, his tiny body having accepted his death and merely playing through the motions.

When the pain receded, Achan stared in horror at what lay beside her. Devi's body had been charred ash-gray. Bits of it drifted off. She knelt, trying to get closer, to somehow preserve what was left of him.

In the next moment it had crumbled into dust and dissolved into the wind.

A numbness crawled over Achan's heart and she slumped forward, her face hitting the ground. She barely registered the pain.

She was conscious of Evan looming over her, and also conscious when he turned her over, leaving her lying on her back. She felt him as he rolled up her sleeves and removed the bandages covering the runes on her arm. She felt him roll her shirt up- very slightly- to expose more of her torso. She didn't care.

Right now she couldn't care.

She coughed and hiccuped as tears continued to fall.

Evan worked without acknowledging her reaction. He reached down, tracing a line along her stomach. A tingling sensation followed and then-

Burning.

Painful, violent burning.

Everywhere his finger was traced a cut opened, burned, was cauterized. The healed-over skin looked like a black line, creating designs of the same shape as the runes stamped on Achan's arms.

He was covering her stomach and chest in seal runes.

Too exhausted and confused to scream further, she could only whimper as he continued. The designs were intricate and took several minutes to complete. By the time Evan's work was done, the sky seemed faintly brighter, indicating it was almost morning. As Evan put the last touches on the stomach design, even Achan's whimpers had died. She was simply staring upward.

Evan reached down to her duel disk, deftly removing Devi's card from her graveyard slot and pocketing it. Achan tried to protest, to plead with him to at least leave her a reminder, but the words stuck in her throat.

Evan leaned down and ruffled her hair again. "The pain you feel tonight will forge you into the king you will become. For now, I will leave you a gift, my daughter. I held back your body's sexual characteristics to give you an opportunity to decide which you would select. You have made your decision."

He pressed his finger to the center of the designs he had engraved on Achan's stomach. "Your desire is granted."

As Evan turned and walked away, the designs he had drawn began to glow with a hellish red light. The seals holding Achan's arms in place snapped and fell away, freeing her. She was too exhausted to move, but her body refused to pass out. The light intensified. And then-

Screaming pain. Her chest had begun to contort. Bubbling masses of lava seemed to have packed themselves around her chest. Her body felt split in half vertically down her abdomen. She tried to scream but her voice caught in her throat.

The world was pain and sound and red light.

Achan passed out.

When she came to, she was back at the camp site. Her new socks had been ripped to shreds by brambles, her skirt was stained with dark mud, and she could feel brambles in her hair. Dimly Achan remembered much of that having happened on her trip through the forest, but not much else. Her eyes shifted from side to side and she blinked, trying desperately to get her bearings.

"Heh. You sure don't weigh much, do you, girly?"

The harsh voice cut through her thoughts. "Who..?"

"Oh come on, we barely just met."

Achan finally managed to take her bearings. "...Chain elf...?"

"Naricka." The Shadowchaser glared down at Achan. "And I just saved your life, so you should treat me with some god damn respect."

Achan said nothing, instead closing her eyes and reaching into her subconscious. [Devi?]

Silence.

[Devi. Devi this isn't funny. Come on Devi. You're still there, right? He couldn't kill you, they didn't kill you before-]

More silence.

[Devi. Devi. Devi. Devi come on. Devi please. Devi just answer. Devi, I need you. Devi, come back. Devi. Devi. Devi. Devi. Devi. Devi! Devi! Come on, just come back. Please. Please Devi. Please? Please? Devi. Devi-]

"Are you listening to me? Some sicko burned something onto your chest, I need you to give me a description so I can pass it on to the local Chasers-"

[Devi, come on, Devi, please don't be dead I already lost Kastle and I can't-]

Naricka grabbed Achan's shoulders and shook them roughly. "Wake up!"

Achan hadn't realized she had been crying until she felt the tears splash onto her stomach. "He killed-"

Naricka released Achan and her face grew softer. "...Who killed?"

"Evan. I don't know w-who-" Achan's voice was now working around sobs. "K-killed my partner-"

Naricka opened her mouth, closed it, and let Achan sob for a few minutes. "I'm sorry for your loss." The words were hollow, automatic, and rehearsed. "I'll look for him. You've got that guard mutt, you're safe for now. And-"

Her voice softened. "-and I left you a change of clothes in your tent since you look like shit right now. You really fucked me over back there, but nobody deserves this. If they don't kick me off the force, I'll find the fucker."

Then she was gone. Achan felt hot breath on her shoulder as Rex curled up around her defensively, nuzzling her. A forked tongue licked away tears.

She cried until morning.

-000000000000-

**Force of Will**

Normal Trap

If this is the only card you control and your life points are less than your opponent's by 3000 or more, you can activate this card. Your life points become 100, and draw three cards from your deck.

**Fallen Seraph Miseres**

Monster/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect/1*

Atk 300/Def 200

If this card is normal summoned and you control another "Fallen" monster: You can send one "Fallen" monster in your hand to the graveyard, your opponent selects a monster they control and destroys it. If you control "The Sanctuary in the Sky" and are attacked directly: Send this card from your hand to the graveyard in order to make the damage from that attack 0, and if it was the second or more direct attack in that turn, inflict damage equal to the different between your life points and your opponent's to their life points.

* * *

_A/N: Once again, no deck profiling._

_Next week I'll post the first half of the two-part resolution to this current arc, dealing with Achan's side. The half of the arc I'll be posting for Kastleneid is on hold until certain updates for Knightfall are complete, or until my co-author or I decide otherwise._

_It's always darkest just before a new dawn._


	7. Chapter 6: A Side

_A/N: Much like chapter four, the current chapter is split into an A-Side and B-Side. B-Side will detail the resolution of Kastleneid's chapter, and it'll be up as soon as possible. The A-Side follows Achan's resolution and continues onward._

_I'd like to take some time to give a shout-out to Lux-Nero, the author of "Shadowchasers: Risen Nemesis" among other stories. He's currently banging out a fanfic called Burning Blood Academy Days, which does in fact feature Kaito (of my old Burning Red) and Faust in their days at Duel Academy. Two characters in the fanfic were contributed by me, and Lux is doing an amazing job both with them and the overall story. It's good, clean dueling fun so get over there and check it out if you haven't already._

_The following chapter may be upsetting to some people. You have been warned._

**Encounter 6: A Side**

"_Roar_"

Achan spent most of the morning after Devi's death sleeping. When she woke up, Rex had curled around her. She cried into his pelt for a few minutes, and then snuggled against him until her body stopped shaking. It was only after that when she got up to change her clothes. She reluctantly peeled away the skirt and parka- maybe the only things she'd have to remember Kastle by- and folded them.

It wasn't until then when she noticed what had changed about her body.

She traced the curves in her chest with a finger- small but very much there. She felt the rest of her body, trying to confirm what had happened.

Evan's runes hadn't been new seals. They had been new spells.

Her body was finished.

Achan stumbled out of her tent and retched for several minutes, even though nothing came up.

By the next day things were somewhat better. The change of clothes Naricka had provided fit Achan quite well, and both the black turtleneck and blue jeans effectively concealed the marks running along her body. Achan made no effort to find new bandages to cover her runes with.

At about ten-thirty in the morning, a letter dropped into her lap from a hole that magically opened in the air in front of her. She opened it. There was neat handwriting she had to stare at for a minute to decipher. Kastleneid was safe, apparently. Rayearth had been kind enough to think of delivering it. There was an invitation to the house that evening to come see her.

Achan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Kastleneid was safe. But that meant Devi had died for absolutely no reason.

Rex whined at her to play with him. That was simple and uncomplicated enough that she did.

At eleven fifty-nine A.M., Achan was too broken to be of help to anyone.

At noon, something changed.

"...Achan?"

Achan had her face buried in Rex's fur and was hugging her chimera as hard as she could. She gave a soft yelp of disapproval as Rex bounded to all six of his feet and began charging around the campsite, sniffing for the intruder. "Rex, it's alright-"

"Achan, you are- well. I had not expected- that is-"

Achan looked down, finally locating the source of the voice.

Rex was curiously sniffing at the chestnut hair of a china doll clad in a bright green dress, currently defended by a black and white teddy bear who seemed quite insistent that he back off. The doll, for her part, seemed more concerned with Achan. "-I suppose that during our duel I never did ask your gender but somehow I simply assumed- well-"

"Down, boy." Achan scratched Rex's neck, and the chimera whined but obeyed, taking several steps back from Achan's visitor. "...Is that you, Rosa?"

Rosa bowed, sweeping some dust off of her skirt as she did. "In the flesh, as it were." She straightened up. "I know you promised we would meet during my next performance, but I'm afraid that's no longer an option, and I wanted to come here before I left." She shook her head, bewildered. "Please, forgive me. I, ah. I hadn't expected-"

Achan's mind was still too raw from previous events to quite process Rosa's words. "Expected?"

"The- you- well-" Rosa wrung her hands furiously and then, in a sudden rush, spat it out. "You're a girl and I didn't expect that and I feel embarrassed because I kept calling you 'boy' all that night and you didn't react so I thought you must be but you aren't and it must have been so insulting and I hadn't realized and please forgive me but I didn't mean to I really didn't and you did so much to help me that night and all I did to repay you was call you the wrong sex and that's just rude and awkward and I'm terribly sorry and-"

Achan couldn't help it. Even after everything she couldn't help it. The corners of her mouth began to turn up of their own accord. "Pfft."

Rosa's babbling broke off and she raised hands to her cheeks. "Y- if I could blush right now believe me _I would be doing it._ Please stop laughing."

Almost as quickly as the smile had come, Achan felt it slip away. "M'sorry," she mumbled. "I'm really sorry."

Rosa tilted her head to the side. "Achan? Are you not well?"

Achan bit her lip, grateful for the fact that during the last night all the tears she felt like she could possibly cry had already run out. "...I lost someone important to me." she said at last.

Rosa walked forward and wrapped her hands around Achan's legs. Achan couldn't help but choke out a small "huh?"

"I cannot reach any higher, so this will have to do for now." Rosa released Achan and took a step back, brushing her skirt off again. "I- am sorry to hear that. If I could I would stay with you, but if you can't come with me I'll have to go ahead. The challenge won't wait." The doll curtsied and turned, preparing to walk away.

Achan almost let her. Then, on impulse, she opened her mouth. "Challenge?"

Rosa stopped in her tracks. "I managed to secure an invitation to participate in the games at an underground arena tonight. If I win, I'll have enough money to accomplish my dream."

"Dream?"

Rosa nodded. "Yes. I located someone capable of forging me a reasonable facsimile of a human body- but I couldn't possibly afford to pay for it, and he will be leaving town soon. This may be my last chance."

Achan's face clouded over. "Rosa, underground arenas are really dangerous. I dueled in one once, and they nearly killed me. If it hadn't been for-" she choked on the word 'Devi' and changed it at the last minute. "-if my partner hadn't helped me, I would have been crushed as soon as the duel was over. You can't trust people there, they want blood."

"Is that so?" Rosa turned and looked into Achan's eyes, and then grinned. "Then we will have to see whether their bloodlust is stronger than my desires. Achan, you told me to do what I wanted to do, yes? What I want is to acquire this body. I will take any risk necessary to do that."

Achan felt her hands shaking. "Rosa, I-"

"Goodbye, Achan. Thank you for everything. I'll come back and visit as soon as I can." Rosa turned again, ready to go.

Achan watched the small figure recede into the forest for a minute, biting her lip. Then she ran forward too. "You're not going alone."

Rosa stopped in her tracks and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I didn't actually want to go in there alone. When I applied for the right to challenge, they laughed at me. It was embarrassing."

Achan looked down at Rosa and managed a small smile. "I- I can't promise I'll be much help but at least if I'm there, I can buy you time to run."

Rosa frowned. "You've changed, Achan. I'm still grateful for your help."

"What do y- Rosa?" Achan found herself nearly left behind. "Wait up!"

The campsite was left empty save for Rex, who curled up in the center to guard it.

"Alison's Restaurant?"

Rosa adjusted the red bow in her hair and looked up at Achan. "Is there something wrong?"

The two stood outside a small, run-down bar on a street corner. It was out of the way of most of Backwater and seemed forgotten by both time and customers- the windows were cracked and pasted over with duct tape, the door was aged and covered in chipped and splintered paint, and the entire structure seemed like a gentle breeze might knock it over at any moment. Achan paced around it, glaring at the sign. "It's just- you're sure this is an underground arena?"

"I've been inside it already," Rosa reminded her. "I know it is."

Achan shook her head. "It's just- the last time I was in an arena, somebody there said it was bad luck to name your front business 'Alison'. Something about a hellfire queen or something?"

Rosa shrugged, displaying the full range of motion of her joints. "I wouldn't know. What I do know is that this duel won't wait for me any longer." She motioned to her teddy-bear attendants, who climbed on top of each other in order to reach the door handle.

Achan stepped forward, blocking their path. "Rosa, you shouldn't go in there."

Rosa folded her arms across her chest. "I already know it's dangerous, Achan. That's why I wanted your support. If you won't give it to me, I'll simply have to force my way." The bear attendants had already squared up, adopting boxer's stances.

Achan shook her head, placing her hand on the door's handle. "I- Rosa it's-" her voice faltered. "You said you didn't want to carry out your father's dream anymore, so why do you need to do this? You don't need a body to-"

"You told me to do what I want. I am doing it. I have my own dreams, Achan." Rosa glared at Achan, her glass eyes glittering. "My own dreams. My own desires. And my own path. I will follow it at any cost. And if you had not-" she paused. "No. That would be cruel to say."

Achan opened her mouth but closed it as Rosa stamped her foot. "But I am saying it anyway because I resolved to speak my mind as soon as you defeated me and so I am going to say that _if your friend had not died you would not be acting this way!_ You aren't scared for me, you're scared because you can't handle losing someone again and even if that's true this is still my risk to take!"

Achan couldn't react beyond stepping to the side. "Rosa, I-"

"I'm so sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry that was completely rude and I apologize and you do care about me and you came out all this way-" Rosa had begun wringing her hands and shaking her head from side to side. "That was insensitive and you must hate me now-"

"That was exactly what I needed to hear, I think." Achan ignored the tears streaming down her cheeks and forced a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you... thank you? Th-" Rosa blinked. "I mean, you're very welcome."

The door chose that moment to swing open, and a swarthy man wearing a leather jacket glared down at Achan and Rosa. "You two going to keep up the fucking soap opera, or are you going to get your asses in here and duel? Five more minutes and your invite's void."

Rosa clicked her heels together. "Rude. I intend to enter with all due haste. Hmph!"

"Fine. You can leave your little chaperone outside then." The man glared at Achan. "She ain't invited, she ain't comin' in."

Achan took a deep breath. "Sir, please, I'm just here to support my friend-"

Rosa stamped her foot. "Achan, stop. You aren't yourself, and losing your friends has hurt you. This is more proof." She shook her head in frustration. "You can't support me like this. You can't even support yourself."

Achan couldn't respond. She could only watch numbly as Rosa was shepherded through the door. Before she passed through, Rosa turned to face Achan one more time. "...Thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far."

The door closed and a lock clicked. Achan stood outside, trying to ignore the ache in her chest.

"Move."

Achan had only been standing for a moment before she was roughly jostled to the side by a man wearing a pressed white suit and red silk tie. He knocked at the door of the restaurant, which opened. The swarthy doorkeeper peered out. "Grayson. Didn't think you'd show today."

"There's new blood. Always a good opportunity to make an appearance." The man smiled, smoothing back his oiled, blonde hair. "You say she's Shadowkind?"

"Livin' doll. High quality. You should see what her net worth checked out with when she put herself up for stakes."

Grayson held up a hand. "Ah, ah, ah. Don't tell me. I want it to be a surprise." He strolled through the door, whistling.

Achan's entire body began shaking as soon as she processed the implication of the words "put herself up for stakes". She stood still on the sidewalk for a long while, turning things over and over in her head. In the end she didn't really decide on a course of action. Her body moved on its own.

Desperately she charged at the door, slamming her fist against it again and again. The doorkeeper opened up. "You again? Fuck off-"

"_LOCK!"_

The doorkeeper fell to the ground, his limbs bound by red halos of light. Achan bent over him and glared into his eyes, pulling back her hair to let the faint blue glow of her right eye through. "I just want to watch her match. Don't make a fuss and I won't hurt you." Her limbs burned with the exertion of trying to maintain even the simple seal without Devi's guidance, and she prayed her captive wouldn't call her bluff.

To her relief, the doorkeeper began to nod furiously. "Jesus, kid, if you're a bodyguard you could have just said so. Thought you were some friend of hers or something. But uh... just remember. Your boss down there, she's doin' this of her own free will. If she loses out, she loses whatever she put up for stakes. Capische?"

Achan's response was to nod and release the Lock. "Which way?"

The doorkeeper pointed across the restaurant, toward a door behind the counter of a derelict bar. "There's a set of stairs behind that. That's the real joint, rest of this place is just a magicked-up cover. Go down, take a seat on the right side with the other bodyguards. Next duel should be starting soon. Tell your boss good luck, 'cause she'll fuckin' need it. Grayson decided to come tonight. He likes puttin' on shows with new blood."

Achan nodded mutely and dashed behind the bar, throwing open the door and tearing down the stairs.

The secret inner chambers of Alice's hit Achan all at once as she came down the stairs. First came the thick, heavy cloud of cigarette smoke which caught in her throat and left her gasping for breath. Then came the sharp smell of cheap alcohol from the bar in the corner, where several 'patrons' sat and shouted encouragement to the duelists. The largest thing in the room was the cage. It was large enough to comfortably contain two people plus holograms, lined with electrical wire the sparked and fizzed as bottles thrown by drunken watchers broke against it, and lined around the bottom with magical runes that Achan recognized as seals. Once someone walked into the cage, they would have a hard time escaping until the door was opened.

Rosa stood in the center, nervously adjusting her dress. Beside her stood a tall, thin man in an emerald green suit and top hat. His voice was light and rich as he barked out his announcement. "Ladies, gentlemen, and those of us who are neither and/or both, welcome-welcome-welcome to today's Alison's Restaurant-"

He paused, leaning forward and cupping a hand around his ear expectantly. The underground duelists raised their fists and finished his sentence as one. "MASSACRE!"

"Thankyou-thankyou-thankyou everyone! As you all know the rules for this event are simple, easy-peasy! Just step right up and into the cage and the first challenger who wants to walks on in and duels you, yes, an ordinary game of duel monsters- no special rules, no tricks, no gimmicks, just straight on-the-money duels! Our fine assistants out there- oh uh, Mimi, Irene, take a bow-"

As the announcer continued delivering his cant, Achan made her way over to the right of the room, where the doorkeeper had mentioned the body guards were seated. She flinched uncomfortably when she realized she was the only one there- apparently most of the duelists weren't important or wealthy enough to require one.

"Yes, our lovely assistants will take the money or stakes you put down on the match! And when everyone's made their wager, the duel is under way- our winning duelist gets the loser's stakes, you lucky viewers who picked the right one get a nice little bit of compensation, and all stakes bet on a losing duelist... well, they become property of the house." There was a twinkle in the barker's eye. "Now without further ado- tonight's first duelist! She may be small but she's feisty, and if you treat her like a little kid she'll make your shins live to regret it... _Rosa Marie!_"

Rosa clicked her heels together as the crowd began making catcalls, closing her eyes in disgust. "Hmph! If you spent as long looking for my opponent as you did on starting your ceremonies, I would have already won by now!"

Achan cast her eyes about the room, examining its vantage points and angles. There was no easy way out even if she did break the seals on the cage. Whatever she did, she would have to do before the door closed. Rosa's words didn't calm her down any more- as calm as the doll had tried to sound, Achan could hear the trembling of her voice.

"Oooh, a tough little rookie. I like that." As Achan had expected, it was Grayson who spoke. The man stood, walking forward and stepping into the cage beside Rosa.

The doll sniffed. "And can you match my stakes?"

"And _double_ them, sweetheart. Are you too nervous to duel me because someone around here's been telling you what I like to do to fresh blood? Don't pay too much attention to them, I'll make sure I go easy on you since you're such a cutie." Grayson bent down and patted Rosa's head. The doll squirmed, uncomfortable, and both of her teddy bear attendants grabbed Grayson's hand in a futile attempt to drag it away. "Awww, touchy-"

Achan had broken from the crowd before she knew what she was doing. Vaulting past the arms of two people who had reached out to grab her, she tumbled into the cage just as the door slammed shut. The MC threw back his head and laughed. "And it appears we've got an extra-special guest today! Not sure who this little lady is, but she's blown in from the streets to take in an underground duel, and it looks like she's going to get one!"

"Achan?" Rosa blinked in surprise, her teddy bears retreating back. "You came- I mean, finally!" The relief in her voice was tangible.

Achan had the presence of mind to stumble away from the door as electrical current began running along the outskirts of the cage. Grayson glared at her. "Who're you, her owner?"

"Achan is a friend." Rosa clicked her heels impertinently. "I've asked her in here to provide support- don't worry, I won't cheat. I simply needed someone who could provide me with a duel disk. You would not believe how hard it is to get one in my size."

The MC and patrons nodded in approval, satisfied with Rosa's explanation. Achan turned to her. "Rosa, you didn't say anything about putting yourself up as stakes. You can't take a risk like this just for your father's-"

"My father has nothing to do with this. I'm doing this for my dreams. Shut up about my father already, it's becoming annoying!" Rosa snapped, motioning to Achan. "Now are you going to help me out or watch me lose by default?"

Grayson yawned. "Any day now, ladies."

Achan begrudgingly summoned her duel disk, allowing it to activate. Following Rosa's directions she knelt and picked the doll up, carrying her in her free arm. Rosa inserted her deck into Achan's disk and settled into her new perch primly. "Hmph. You have no idea how prepared I am for this match."

"All bets have been taken!" The MC stepped back to give Grayson and Rosa space. "Duelists, on your marks!"

Grayson licked his lips. "I'm going to enjoy this game, dollface. Don't worry, I've got a nice china cabinet I can display you in."

Achan glared at him. "Don't you dare touch Rosa-"

"Oh, and you, sweetheart? Shut up. Or I'll make you."

Achan wasn't sure what hit her first- the wave of darkness or the stench of decay that wafted from Grayson's right hand. She almost dropped Rosa as she began coughing. Rosa bristled in her arms, glaring. "What did you do?"

"Oh, that? Just a little parlor trick." Grayson had already activated his own duel disk. "Ready when you are-"

Achan raised her head. "Rosa-"

"It's okay." The doll had already drawn her hand. "I know what I'm getting into. I knew before I stepped into this arena."

"You don't understand," Achan coughed. "He's-"

"Duel!"

Grayson drew and placed his first monster on his duel disk in a smooth, practiced motion, so fluid that it was hard to tell whether he had looked at the card at all. "I'll lead off with this guy." The air in front of him twisted and became solid, taking on a defined shape. Achan flinched backward as she recognized the identity of the green-armored bird-man staring her down, his curved beak glimmering. (1500/800)

Rosa simply sniffed. "Gladiator Beast Bestiari in attack position, and on your first move? You must be confident."

"More than confident, dollface." Grayson pursed his lips as he nonchalantly placed a face-down card into his duel disk, its image appearing behind Bestiari. "In fact, lemme tell you a secret- I've got a reputation around here as a bit of a fortune-teller. If it's my opponent's first time at a Massacre, I can tell exactly how many turns they'll last before I make 'em bleed." He glanced at his watch. "And I'll give you... oh, how about two more of my turns after this one?"

Achan turned to Rosa, her mind running desperately. She had to warn her before-

"You impudent-" Rosa straightened her back in Achan's arms. "When I'm through with you, you won't under- I-" She turned to Achan, her expression full of righteous indignation. "Achan, tell him off for me! I'm bad at insults!"

Achan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Frustrated, Rosa reached out, drawing a card from her own deck. "...Never mind. I'll teach him some manners on my own. Blazing Inpachi, stand forward!" At her command a bonfire erupted onto the field, reshaping itself into a tall, wooden creature carved from a tree, '18' emblazoned across its chest. The flames licked around it, covering its body as it struck a pose. ( 1850/0)

Rosa pointed across the field imperiously. "Since you were overconfident enough to leave a key card like that Bestiari in attack position, you'll have to forgive me for burning it to ash! Blazing Inpachi, destroy it with _brushfire buster!_"

Achan finally found her voice. "Rosa, don'-"

She felt a sudden pressure on the back of her neck, and turned her head very slightly. The MC held a knife to her throat. "We take kibitzing quite seriously around here," he said cheerfully. "Let your friend duel on her own." He snapped his fingers, and the attack proceeded, Blazing Inpachi leaping into the air and hurtling down toward Bestiari with a fist drawn back to deliver a piledriver blow.

"Heh. Should've listened to your owner, dollface." Grayson waved his hand, and his set card sprang face-up. "Waboku reduces all battle damage this round to zero and protects my monster." Inpachi's attack connected, only for the impact to be dulled by a pale aura surrounding Bestiari's body. The wooden man staggered backward.

Rosa frowned. "In that case, I-"

"At the end of your battle phase, I activate my monster's effect." Grayson picked up Bestiari's card and shuffled it into his deck as his monster turned to the side, staring into space expectantly. "When my Bestiari attacks or is attacked during the battle phase, when it's over I can put it back into my deck and special summon myself a replacement. And the card I'm summoning is-"

Achan braced herself. Under the circumstances, the card would most likely be Gladiator Beast Murmillo, a weaker monster who automatically destroyed another face-up monster card when special summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast. However, instead of the blue fins of the fish-type Gladiator, she was shocked when the first things to appear were two massive, eagle-like wings and a white-feathered bird of prey's head. An overwhelming aura of darkness flooded the arena. Her face paled. "The dark card?"

The knife at her throat pressed a little harder. "Keep it shut, little lady. I wouldn't want to have to hurt you with this."

As Bestiari dissolved, it tapped its arm against that of a new monster who took its place after materializing completely. The massive winged beast may have shared Bestiari's body type, but it was far more imposing. It flexed its talons and a spray of gold light washed across the battlefield- a cold light that made Achan shudder. "Meet Gladiator Beast Octavius." Grayson indicated his new card. (2500/1800)

"That is... unexpected." Rosa flinched back slightly in Achan's arms. "I've never seen this card before. What kind of an effect does it have?"

Grayson shrugged as he examined his hand. "Normally he'll automatically destroy a set card on the field when I summon him, but neither of us have one- so it's not going to trigger."

Rosa shook her head. "Then why summon that card?" She pursed her lips before placing two cards into the duel disk, both of their backs appearing behind Blazing Inpachi. "That should do for my turn."

Grayson looked at his card as he drew it. "Heh. Showtime." He held up a card which depicted a lion-man in winged armor- Gladiator Beast Alexander- meditating in mid-air. "Gladiator Beast's Respite lets me send two Gladiator Beast cards from my hand back into my deck. So I'll shuffle back Darius and Murmillo here, and then draw three cards."

Rosa nodded with satisfaction as Grayson carried out his card's effect. "I suppose that explains why you neglected to summon Murmillo."

"Nah. I wanted this guy on the field to begin with. After all, I think your friend's noticed it by now. I summon Gladiator Beast Lanista!" Grayson sneered as he placed a card on his duel disk, and a humanoid eagle wearing green armor and wielding a lance materialized beside Octavius, its eyes glimmering. (1800/1200) "Now if you want to know why this monster... here, have your first taste of how a duel down here in the underground works, dollface! Octavius, break her monster to pieces with _Caesar Wing!"_

Achan felt the attack before it actually came- the waves of darkness and the stench of decay that emanated from Octavius as it swooped down upon Blazing Inpachi with its wings outstretched, ready to bring them down and crush its opponent with one strike. There was no doubt in her mind now- this card was filled to the point of overflowing with dark power, and Rosa didn't seem to realize it. She tried to open her mouth, only to feel the knife pressing down.

"Trap activate, Card Defense!"

Just as Octavius's attack came within inches of connecting, a wall of duel monsters cards shot from the walls of the cage and created an impromptu barrier, forcing it back. Rosa slipped a card into her discard slot, which Achan managed to identify. "I discard one card from my hand, and your attack is negated. And furthermore, I draw one card afterward." She primly removed one from her deck. "I believe that your Dark Card has had its wings clipped, as has your assault for the rest of the turn. Lanista can't overcome Inpachi's power." The blazing wooden man struck a pose, as if responding to Rosa's words.

Achan turned her head to Rosa, ignoring the pressure of the knife. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew." Rosa stared down Octavius and Grayson. "I've known since I came here. It's what drew me to this duel in the first place. I know it's too dangerous, but my dream- it was worth it."

"Rosa, that's-"

The knife pressed harder, as the MC continued with the same cheerful voice. "One more and it goes in all the way, little lady. I can fix the wound before you bleed out, but I wouldn't want to leave a scar on your pretty little body."

Achan felt her mind jolt on instinct. The MC screamed in pain as a Lock bit down on his wrist painfully hard and the knife clattered to the ground. She released it a moment later. "I'm not talking strategy. This is Rosa's duel," she heard herself saying. "And as a duelist, I have no right to interfere. You can put that away."

"Just so long as you understand that." The MC hissed as he moved back into the corner, nursing his wounds.

Grayson chuckled. "Such a passionate little drama. But you overlooked something, Dollface. Tell me, did you ever wonder why I put two Gladiator Beasts back into the deck so quickly when one's as good as another for attacking you directly?"

Achan shook her head at the same time as Rosa.

"Well then, let me demonstrate. Brace yourselves, this is going to _sting._" A childlike look of glee surrounded Grayson's face as he played his next card. "Let me introduce you to my favorite spell. Swallow's Nest lets me tribute a winged-beast I control in order to summon one of an equal level from my deck."

"And since it's quickplay, it can be activated during the battle phase," Achan realized. "Letting you summon another Octavius and keep up a chain of attacks."

"Another Octavius? Oh sweetheart, you're thinking too small." Grayson gestured to his monster as a tower rose beneath it, stretching above the duelists and into a holographically-generated patch of sky until his monster was only visible as a speck. "You called Octavius a Dark Card? I don't know what these things are, but he isn't the only one I've found that makes me feel so alive- I had to rebuild my deck from the ground up to accommodate this guy, but he's more than worth it. Now, descend on my enemies, bringer of forbidden knowledge!"

The card's identity clicked for Achan and Rosa at the same time, but only Achan managed to find the words. "Oh... _shit_."

"Dark Simorgh!" Grayson roared as his monster swooped downward, its talons crashing into Blazing Inpachi and reducing the golem to kindling. The regal bird spread its dark wings and uttered a keening cry, the dark crown on its head glistening in the light of the arena. (2700/1000) (8000 – 650 = 7450)

The electrical wires across the arena sizzled, and a jolt blasted forward- and struck Achan directly. She screamed, unprepared for the pain, but miraculously managed to hold onto Rosa. The doll stared in surprise. "Achan! Are you alright?"

"Oh, didn't we tell you ladies? That's the special rule here in this arena. You take damage, and this cage automatically gives you a bit of payback. Keeps things lively." Grayson grinned.

The MC dusted himself off as she stood up. "Of course, that wouldn't hurt you since you're a doll," he said. His voice was just as chipper as before, despite the pain Achan had inflicted. "But since you have a human partner, she'll make a perfect incentive to avoid getting hurt, wouldn't you say?"

"Incidentally, I'm not done with my turn yet." Grayson gestured to Lanista. "Sic 'em, boy."

Achan felt the impact of Lanista's direct assault just as it hit, staggering backward. The electricity that surged through her this time was three times more painful, and it was all she could do to keep her body upright. (7450 – 1800 = 5650)

Grayson mulled over the contents of his hand for a moment, then tapped his duel disk. "After Gladiator Beast Lanista battles, I can tag it out into my deck and summon a new Gladiator Beast monster." The eagle burned with golden light, and with a screech Octavius reappeared on Grayson's field. "And oh, would you look at that? You have a set card ripe for the picking this time- so destroy it, Octavius! _Caesar Burst!"_

The pieces of the strategy clicked in Achan's head. At least three of the Gladiator Beast archetype other than Octavius, she knew, were winged-beasts. By frontloading his deck with those three monsters and Octavius itself, Swallow's Nest was a constantly-live card allowing for chained attacks. And when it wasn't being used for that, it had a powerful synergy with Octavius- once summoned the eagle would destroy set cards. Then it could be tributed for Dark Simorgh, which locked away the opponent's ability to set cards.

Even as the strategy clicked, however, something else drew Achan's attention- Rosa was _smiling._

"You should have picked Bestiari as your summon target. More vulnerable, perhaps, but it lacks a certain weakness that Octavius possesses." She waved her hand. "Trap card, Revolutionary Rebirth!"

Just as Octavius released a burst of razor-sharp feathers from its wings, Rosa's trap flipped face up and repulsed them. An ornate toybox appeared in front of her, several dolls and stuffed toys peeking from the open lid. (0/0) "When an opponent special summons a monster, this trap allows me to special summon a monster from my graveyard. During the end phase, that card is destroyed. My target is the Box of Friends I discarded with Card Defense." Rosa smiled primly, folding her hands. "My, my. Two dark cards and this is the best you have? Achan here battled me using a deck she transparently built from sealed packs and hand-me-downs, and her skills far surpassed this! Compared to that duel, you're nothing but a bump in the road!"

Achan felt a jolt as Rosa made her declaration. "Rosa?"

Grayson rolled his eyes. "A speech like that when you're lagging in field presence, monster power, and cards in hand? Please, dollface, don't make things harder on yourself. It's going to hurt no matter what you do." A set card appeared behind his monsters and he ended his turn with a smirk and shrug of his shoulders.

Rosa drew and her glass eyes sparkled in the arena's dim light. "I suggest you brace yourself. This next turn will hurt you far more than it hurts me." Her Box of Friends began to spark and rattle. "During your end phase, Box of Friends is destroyed by the effect of Revolutionary Rebirth."

"And all your card managed was negating an attack," Grayson sneered. "Not much point bringing a monster back if you just blow it up, is there?"

"That's the idea, you- you lunkhead!" Rosa drew herself up with pride at having managed what she obviously considered a half-decent insult. "I take it you've never encountered a deck like this before!"

As Box of Friends shattered, two plush dolls fell from it- two knights, one in red armor and one in blue. "After Box of Friends has been destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I special summon two level four normal monsters from my deck in face-up defense position. Of course, their attack or defense points must be exactly zero." Rosa placed her monsters on the field deftly, and they appeared in a flash of flame and a fountain of water. "Fortunately, Gem-Knights Garnet and Sapphire fit both conditions." (1900/0) (0/2100)

Grayson was nonplussed. "So you can Xyz summon. So what?"

Rosa drew the first card of her turn, and smiled. The overlay nexus opened, Sapphire and Garnet disappearing into it just as they hit the field. Rosa closed her eyes and held up her hand, the card she intended to summon seeming to shimmer into it instead of emerging from the extra deck. "With two level four monsters, I can build the overlay network. Rise up, my avatar, and show your true power!"

With a swish, and a curtsy, Rosa's ace monster appeared- and promptly, in a display of character Achan hadn't thought possible for the demure monster, flipped both of Grayson's dark cards a double-bird. "Princess Cologne!" (500/2200)

"Pfeh. Pretty face, rude mouth. She's you alright." Grayson waved his hand dismissively as Princess Cologne turned her back to him, rummaging on the ground. When she had turned around, she was holding the Box of Friends in them. (0/0)

"Princess Cologne, when Xyz summoned, special summons a Box of Friends from the graveyard." Rosa continued moving through her hand. "And like any good princess she and I are both generous with our possessions. So catch!"

Grayson showed his first real look of surprise as Cologne tossed her favorite toy into the air. It hurtled end over end before dropping down to his field, its lid rattling and falling aside. "What the hell did you just do?"

The glowing spell on Rosa's field answered his question. Achan felt a surge of relief. "You used Creature Swap!"

Rosa rolled her eyes. "I can't imagine why you're so surprised, Achan. Either way, I'll be using that card's effect now: Creature Swap exchanges the position of a monster on my field and yours. Each of us get to select which of our cards was affected, and obviously I choose Box of Friends. Your choice will be?"

Grayson's eyes flicked back and forth between each of his monsters, and he growled in distaste. "Take it, then." He motioned to Octavius, who vanished, reappearing in Rosa's possession.

Rosa sighed in relief as Octavius appeared. "Apparently only your first copy of it was tainted- good, that's a relief. I'd hate to have to breathe in miasma from a card like that more than once." She stared Grayson down before motioning to Octavius. "Fly!"

In the next instant, Rosa's stolen Gladiator Beast had smashed the Box of Friends on Grayson's field. Bolts of electricity poured down from the cage toward him as the Box's effect activated simultaneously, a second copy of Garnet and Sapphire materializing on Rosa's field. (1900/0) (0/2100)

Achan had kept her concentration on Grayson. The bolts that had struck him were far more intense than either of the charges she had already experienced, and yet he was still standing. In fact, aside from a slightly singed smell in the air, he appeared completely unharmed. (8000 – 2500 = 5500 LP)

She reached up, brushing her hair away from her right eye. It began to glow a light blue, faintly, as she examined Grayson and pinpointed the cause. Rosa had been more right than she realized- a miasma of dark energy surrounded Grayson, shielding him from harm. "You aren't just possessed by that card," Achan muttered. "You've taken _control_ of its power. That's why you can use two at once so easily!"

Grayson clapped his hands slowly. "Well, well. Congratulations, sweetheart, you figured it out." He grinned as the cage's charge shut off. "I said so myself, didn't I? These cards make me feel alive- and as long as I'm holding onto them, nothing you do is going to hurt me. How about you though? You look like you've seen better days."

Achan's body trembled. It was true. Without Devi, even the two simple seals she'd performed earlier had taken a toll on her, and the electrical punishment she'd received from taking damage had already rocked her to the core. All that was keeping her upright was the combination of adrenaline and fear running through her system. She looked around the arena.

She could already see it- the crowd was firmly on Grayson's side. People were roaring encouragement from the sidelines, and beer bottles broke against the cage's walls.

This wasn't a fair duel.

Grayson smirked. "That's what I thought. By the way, Dollface, you've got a choice to make." He pointed to Octavius, who had begun to dissolve into particles of golden light. "Octavius has to make a choice at the end of every battle phase where he attacked or was attacked. Either you have to ditch a card from your hand, or he goes straight back to his owner's deck." He licked his lips. "Well?"

Rosa ignored him, allowing Octavius to transform into particles of light and vanish. "He's already accomplished his purpose. Leaving him on the field any longer would be pointless." She snapped her fingers, pointing to the two monsters she had summoned with Box of Friends. "Once again, I build an overlay network. Rise up, my new monster!"

Achan blinked in surprised. She had been expecting Gem-Knight Pearl after her last battle with Rosa, but this monster was clearly a new addition to her deck, and couldn't have struck more of a contrast from her original cards. The creature had wide ears, gray-green skin, and clawed hands and toes. The white ruffs surrounding its wrists, ankles and face bristled and light reflected from the red jewel it wore. (2300/2000) "King of the Feral Imps," Rosa explained as she indicated her new card, "allows me to detach one of its materials once per turn in order to add a reptile-type monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Masked Chameleon." The King reached out, grabbing one of the two lights orbiting it like miniature satellites and gulping it down as Rosa's deck produced the card she wanted.

"Pfeh." Grayson rolled his eyes. "Are you done yet?"

"Not quite." Rosa turned around one of the remaining four cards in her hand. "Forbidden Chalice!" A clear fountain of water struck Dark Simorgh, and the miasma around it shattered for a moment. "This card will raise the attack points of the target monster by four hundred, but will also negate its effect until the end phase. Naturally, I apply this effect to your Dark Simorgh!"

The excitement Achan had started to feel evaporated when Grayson's only response was to burst out laughing. "Seriously? Dollface, this is getting real entertaining!"

Rosa selected a card from her hand, placing it in her duel disk. "With Simorgh's effect negated I can set this. Then, I end my turn."

Grayson drew, snorting. "Hey, dollface. Remember what I said? Two more turns." He grinned as he placed a card on his duel disk. "And here's one. Gladiator Beast Equeste!" The monster which materialized resembled a centaur, but the blue armor covering its body included a pair of sharp, iron wings. (1600/1200) "And now... get lost!"

Grayson's trap card flipped face up, and Achan's stomach churned. "That's-"

"Icarus Attack! I tribute a winged-beast monster, then target two cards that are on the field and destoy 'em. And I know just the targets." Grayson grinned, pointing toward Rosa's King of the Feral Imps and set card as Equeste's body caught flame and he charged into the air, preparing to attack. "I feel pretty bad for you dollface- you worked so hard to get those in play, too! Equeste, wipe 'em out!"

Achan could feel her body giving out on her.

This was just like before.

Every time Rosa had produced some form of new hope, it was being snatched away. Grayson was toying with her- no, with both of them.

Just like Evan had.

As the attack from Equeste bore down, Rosa's shout interrupted Achan's thoughts. "I chain-activate my card!"

Grayson's livid expression contrasted well with Achan's look of surprise as Rosa's card turned upright before it could be impacted. "Forbidden Lance will lower the attack points of any one monster on the field by eight hundred, but make it immune to the effects of other spell or trap cards- I choose to target your Dark Simorgh with its effect." The lance whistled through the air as Equeste's suicide attack struck, causing both it and King of the Feral Imps to disappear into a blaze. Simorgh screamed in pain as the lance buried itself in its feathers.

Rosa turned to face Achan, making eye contact. "Achan- put me down."

Achan blinked. "What?"

"Put me down. Even with that card activated, I can't prevent him from doing damage this turn. So put me down and take a step back. If you are not part of the duel, you won't have to take the damage for me." Rosa smiled. "I'm grateful for everything you've done so far. You don't have to push yourself."

The words didn't seem to make sense to Achan for a minute. "What are you talking about?"

"Bringing me here. Giving me a dream. Helping me see it through." Rosa looked across the cage at Grayson, who was pantomiming a yawn but not particularly in a mood to interrupt yet. "Before, I was sure I had to follow Father's dream, and become his daughter. But you told me to follow my own- to be who I wanted to be. And after the duel we had, I knew." Her eyes were shining. "I want to be a pro duelist! My dream is to become the next King of Games!"

Grayson threw back his head and began howling with laughter. "You _serious_ dollface? They'd crush you before you got within a foot of the stadium if you tried to go pro! Even the Veil's got limits, and no mundane's gonna take a dueling doll seriously!"

Rosa grit her teeth. "...And that is why I want a body of my own. I'm tired of being too small. Tired of having my life determined by what Father made me! I want this body so I can become whole again! I want to escape!"

The last word rang out. Achan reached out and squeezed Rosa's hand, and was surprised to find it was quite warm. "Rosa?"

The doll looked back. "I- oh. I'm sorry, I got carried away," she said.

"I think I get it now." Achan looked forward across the field, her right eye's glow slowly changing to a more intense gold.

Grayson began to take notice of the phenomenon. "Hey, sweetheart. You'd better not be casting a spell with that. This game's fair and square, alright?"

Achan ignored him. "I've been acting like an idiot. If Devi saw me right now, he'd probably slap me." She strangled back a sob. "And Kastle- Kastle would too. Because I ran here without thinking, sure. But also because once you decide you're going to help someone, you fight beside them until it's over."

The golden glow in her eye had returned. Rosa began to beam. "That's more like it. That's exactly the way you felt the night we first met!"

"Hey, dollface. Still my turn."

Rosa looked up, just to see a tower rising above the arena, carrying Dark Simorgh with it. "Swallow's Nest. And I see, you chained it to my Lance in order to avoid its effect," she surmised.

"And with it, I'm obviously going to summon another Dark Simorgh," Grayson sneered as his new monster flew down from from the rising tower, a mirror image of the first one. "And this one isn't affected by your little spell card, so it's entering the field at full power." (2700/1000)

Achan stared straight ahead, trying to maintain her self control. She wanted to say to Rosa what she had already guessed- that if Dark Simorgh had been tributed, Grayson had to be very confident about the last card in his hand- and with no other monsters on the field, Cologne was vulnerable. Rosa and her monster continued to stand resolute though. In fact, it was Rosa who spoke to Achan first. "Brace yourself. He's going to destroy Cologne and attack directly," she murmured.

Grayson lifted two cards from his graveyard slot. "Alright, dollface. Ready for the beginning of the end? I'll banish that Dark Simorgh I just tributed, and Equeste as well. That's one Dark monster, and one Wind monster. And that meets the summoning conditions for the a certain monster."

Achan felt Rosa flinch back suddenly from the pressure that began to leak from Grayson's field as Simorgh cast a shadow which stretched out and lifted up. Two eyes took shape within it and blinked as it solidified into the form of a second Dark Simorgh, which raised its wings in unison with the first. (2700/1000)

"Heh. I can see it in your eyes," Grayson said as he looked at Achan and Rosa. "You two think you've got a fighting chance if you can just ride this turn out. I think you're forgetting something important."

Achan looked up at the cage, which was already beginning to spark, as Grayson continued. "The moment my second Simorgh's attack lands, you'll take plenty of damage. And that'll be enough to wipe you out completely. Well, dollface? Your friend's not looking too good- current's not supposed to be lethal, but there's always a chance of an accident."

Achan could already see the dark aura flowing from Grayson's body into the cage. There was no chance that whatever happened next would be an "accident". She clenched her fists in frustration as Rosa's hand began to waver. They had come so far, to lose like this-

"Rosa." Achan looked at the cage and took a deep breath. "Go ahead and let him. I'll ride it out somehow."

Rosa looked back at Achan only for a moment, then nodded. "You heard her, lunkhead. Do your worst!"

Grayson nearly burst out laughing. "Well then... far be it from me to stop you! Dark Simorghs, smash their defenses and bring the pain! _Forbidden Secret!"_

The first Simorgh seemed to glide over to Cologne, who held her arms up defensively, shivering. Rosa closed her eyes as Simorgh's wings snapped shut, covering her monster, and its beak slashed downward. There was a shattering noise, and a balloon drifted toward the ceiling of the arena before dissipating into pixels. Achan felt Rosa's entire body begin to shake. "Are you okay?"

"I felt that," Rosa admitted. "It's nothing. But I felt it."

The second attack was hard on the heels of the first, and Achan steeled herself. Grayson hadn't realized she wasn't entirely human yet, and with any luck she'd survive the attack. Even so, it might render her unconscious, and then if the crowd turned violent Rosa would be alone-

Time seemed to slow, and a voice echoed in Achan's mind. _[When you create a seal, the most important thing to remember is concentration. Even in the heat of battle, focus on the seal instead of on your opponent. If you form it properly, they shouldn't be able to harm you at all. If you need to think of something quick, focus on a simple shape with simple properties.]_

"A circle for instance," Achan found herself mouthing as Simorgh's attack struck, causing both her and Rosa to reel backwards from the shock. Fortunately, this third copy didn't seem to be a dark card. (5650 – 2700 = 2950 LP)

The bolts from the ceiling were launched almost immediately. Achan breathed out and focused. Simple shape. Simple properties.

It came to her. Of course- the Locks had been complicated because she had over-thought what she needed. Why not something easy? No need to constrict so much. No need to arrest the moment. Just channel it. Move it. Make it a circle.

Just as the cage fired two red circles inscribed themselves around Achan, one inside the other, runes forming within them almost automatically. The electricity crackled and raged, then vanished into nothing. The circle broke, and Achan exhaled, trying to make sense of what she had just done.

Grayson's face turned red with rage. "What the hell are you made of?"

"Better stuff than you are," Rosa smirked, though Achan could hear the relief in her voice. "And far stronger as well. And since you just exhausted all your cards in one attack, I believe it's my turn." She drew, then examined the top card of her deck and immediately placed it on the duel disk. "I activate Upstart Goblin, giving you one thousand life points in order to draw one more card from my deck."

As Rosa drew, Grayson yawned, his life point counter ticking up. "What are you playing at?" (5500 + 1000 = 6500 LP)

Rosa smiled. "You predicted I'd only last two more of your turns, meaning you intend to finish me off as soon as your next one begins. I'm quite sure you over-exceeded your confidence there and planned to use that Swallow's Nest to set up a combination with a Gladiator Beast, which would have reduced my life points considerably more than the play you were forced to revert to did. That said, though I'm confident in my victory? I'd like to match your boast if I can. And I just got the cards to do it." She placed a monster on her duel disk. "And here is the first one. I summon Masked Chameleon!"

In a shimmer of light, a new monster appeared in front of Rosa- a green-skinned lizard with a curled tail. Its head was covered by an ornate mask, which molded to its skin and shimmered with green jade and inset gems. (1600/1000)

No sooner had the monster arrived than the ground beside it cracked, a jet of flame spurting up as Blazing Inpachi emerged from it and crouched in a defensive stance. (1850/0) "When Masked Chameleon is normal summoned, I can special summon a monster with zero defense points from my graveyard. However, for the rest of the turn I am not allowed to summon monsters, except from the extra deck." Rosa smirked. "Of course, that will hardly be a problem for what I have in mind."

Grayson eyed the reptile curiously. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"

"If you had any sense last turn, you would have been willing to sacrifice your Dark Simorgh to destroy King of the Feral Imps, even as a two-for-one trade." Achan nodded in agreement with Rosa's words as the doll continued. "The moment Masked Chameleon moved to my hand, your defeat was all but assured. You see, my Masked Chameleon is a level four tuner. And now I'll tune it with my level four Blazing Inpachi!"

Masked Chameleon's jade mask splintered, then broke apart, along with the rest of its body. Rather than dissipating, the fragments transformed into four green rings which aligned themselves with Inpachi's body, transforming it into four shining stars. Rosa closed her eyes and smiled. "_Champion of the noble, let your crimson flames rise up and bloom! Synchro summon!"_

The monster which emerged from the column of light in front of Rosa was a regal, imposing figure. The lion stood a full head taller than Grayson's Simorghs, and a palpable sense of heat rose from its bright orange fur. Its mane, which seemed as much metal as it did flesh, was a bright crimson interwoven with white strands. Flames licked up around its paws as it let out a triumphant roar. "_Lead me to victory, Lion of Red Lotus!" _(3000/1800)

Grayson took a step back. "What the hell is-"

"Lion of Red Lotus can only be summoned if all non-tuner monsters are not effect monsters. His effect activates." Gem Knight Garnet slipped from the graveyard slot of Achan's duel disk, and Rosa handed the card to her for safe keeping. "Once per turn, I can banish any number of normal monsters in my graveyard. For each one banished, Lion of Red Lotus can attack an additional number of monsters during that battle phase. In other words, I can attack both of your monsters this turn."

Grayson's expression twisted. "...Wait a second. You mean-"

"Yes. This turn, due to your carelessness, I'll wipe out all of your monsters and leave you with no way to defend yourself. But I do plan to cut even that short for you." Rosa revealed one of the last two cards in her hand. "Megamorph!"

As the Lion of Red Lotus doubled in size, Grayson ran the calculations in his head. "That- that's just not fair!"

"Oh? I've made every one of my moves by the rules of the game. It's your own fault you weren't able to handle them." Rosa smiled at Achan. "Achan, would you care to do the honors with me?"

Achan returned the smile. "I'd like that."

Raising their voices in unison, both threw their hands forward. "Lion of Red Lotus, attack both Dark Simorghs! _Roar of Triumph!_"

The lion roared, flexing and leaping into the air with claws outstretched. The first Simorgh was borne to the ground underneath it, and only struggled for a moment before a brutal paw strike smashed down on its skull, reducing it to a cloud of feathers and pixels. Grayson's dark mist barely reflected the electrical burst which struck in the wake of the attack, but he could only watch helplessly as the Lion raised up its head from the kill and released a triumphant roar, along with a flaming shockwave from below its paws. The final Simorgh screamed as the shockwave impacted it, setting it alight. It burned to nothing in an instant, and Grayson's life points with it. (6500 – 3300 = 3200 LP) (3200 – 3300 = 0 LP)

The final bolts of electricity struck. The dark power around Grayson swirled, as if uncertain whether to defend him or not. He screamed in pain as the bolts hit, his body twitching until he fell still.

Achan and Rosa sighed in relief in unison, then met each other's gaze. "Whew."

The MC had made it to his feet, and looked out across the gathered crowd, who were watching in stunned silence. "Well... uh... the winner is Rosa Marie! And with it, she gets to take Grayson's stakes-"

Rosa's smile evaporated as the MC held up four cards. "Three copies of Dark Simorgh, and one Gladiator Beast Octavius! Each of these was signed by an I2 artist, making them distinct from all other copies of the card- a rare find that you can't get anywhere else in the world!"

"Unacceptable!" Rosa blurted out. "Even if I could accept cards tainted by the darkness he used, I need cash money. This is not what I was promised!"

The MC leered. "Well too bad, because that's what you'll get. Grayson put these up for stakes, and I can't offer you what neither of us have. Since you don't want them though..." He tossed the four cards to the prone duelist and opened the door. "You can always go for a second match."

Rosa's jaw dropped open. "This- this is- I can't-"

Achan's fists clenched. She began to realize what had happened here.

"Grayson didn't just happen to find those dark cards, did he?" she asked, looking closely at the MC. "And you didn't just happen to find Rosa, either. You're a distributor, aren't you? You persuade people to wager these cards on games and spread them through the city that way. That's why you wanted her here, in the arena. She's already succumbed once, so you thought you'd do it again."

The MC's knife flicked out. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You do." Achan struggled to keep her voice even, but her frustration spilled through anyway. "I didn't sense dark aura around you, so I bet that you haven't kept a single one of these cards for yourself- you just know that money's coming in from somebody, and they're paying you to make sure they get those cards around. You don't care if the cards are cursed. Either someone comes in and they win one of them, or they get pitted through an endless series of duels until they lose everything."

The MC smiled. "You're talking bullshit, little lady. But since I'm a nice guy, I won't cut your throat for that."

Achan tensed, realizing how far the MC had been pushed by this point. She kept her eyes fixed on the knife, waiting for his next move.

She barely saw the small object drop from his sleeve into his left hand, but Achan heard Rosa shout "STOP HIM!" as the MC lifted what looked like a small detonator switch. Rosa's two attendant bears leaped from some concealed location and grabbed at his wrist, only to be shaken off. His finger depressed the button and the cage began to spark.

Achan closed her eyes. The magic circle could channel electricity away and seal it into the ground, but there was no way the MC didn't know that. He'd do something while she was concentrating on diverting it.

This was going to be it. At least, she thought to herself with a sense of relief, Rosa would probably make it out in one piece.

The voice rang out in her memories again. [_Dealing with more than one threat gets difficult if you wait for them all to come to you. The best way to counter is to be proactive. Even if you can't eliminate one threat altogether, sometimes just keeping them off balance long enough to deal with whatever is pressing down on you faster is enough. Remember that simple seals are the key, and the key to simple seals is visualization. Start by imagining how you want to constrain a target, and then the parameters should emerge. Don't waste time if you can't make it perfect on the first shot- if it's meant to be a delay-]_

"Not every seal needs to be Endless 9" Achan mumbled. As she activated the magic circle around her, she reached out with her mind and constructed a second seal. The MC seized up in surprised as a magical circle inscribed itself in the air around his body, pinning his arms to the side and binding him in place. With a harsh cry and a wrench of his shoulders, he shattered the impromptu binding like glass and lunged driving his knife-

-well past where Achan and Rosa had been a moment before. He whirled to see Achan setting Rosa down gently before straightening up to face him. She reached out her palm, slowly. "Why are you trying to kill me? Everyone here is a witness."

"Everyone here can tell you're the one who's full of shit. I don't want to kill you, just make an example of you. Show everyone here what happens when lying little shits spread tales about my arena." The MC advanced slowly, this time unarmed.

Achan didn't want to think about the possibilities of what that meant. "Rosa, what are the odds he's a magic user?"

"I'm not sticking around to find out!" Rosa motioned to her two bear attendants, who leaped up and jammed what looked like a small seed into the cage's lock. It burst into bloom a moment later, transforming into thick vines and ropes of ivy which twisted the door off its hinges. The two burst out, trying to force their way through the crowd only to be blocked off. The bouncer stood to the back of the group, herding the crowd forward and forcing the two back.

The MC grinned. "I'm not in the habit of hurting little girls, but you broke the rules. And you missed out on one thing." He spread his hands and roared. "Every bastard in here already has a card from me!"

Achan's eyes narrowed. It was true. She hadn't sensed it before- maybe they'd been concealing it- but dark energy leaked from every duelist in the room. She raised her duel disk. "...I don't know if I can turn this into a shadow game without my partner," she admitted, "but I'll try my best."

"Don't worry." Rosa raised Princess Cologne's card as one of her stuffed bears unzipped the back of the other, producing a set of the same pages covered in German scrawl she had used the night she had attacked the theater. "You won't be alone. And... thank you for coming here. We might stand a chance together."

[_Together, we can save anyone._]

Achan's eyes filled with tears. "Devi..."

[_In any fight, the first person to seal is the one you know has magic. And don't just seal their movement, either. The ideal thing to do is to place them in a circle that feeds magic back to the center. This is a more difficult seal, so what you should do is make sure you're concentrating all your attention on them at one time. You're talented enough with that Lock seal of yours, so make that a first priority. Then from there, construct the boundaries of the second seal._]

"Thanks." Achan threw up her hands. "Rosa, hold them back for a minute?"

"With pleasure!" Cologne's card gleamed as power flowed from her and Rosa into the pages, causing a wall of branches to spring up between herself, Achan, and the crowd.

They began to wither almost immediately, but Achan could see they had just enough time. She raised her hands and whirled on the MC. "_Lock!"_

The lock ring this time was extremely constrictive, to the point of stressing joints- Achan had made sure of that. It was no time for playing nice. She closed her eyes, trying frantically to remember how to construct a magic-feedback seal. First one outer circle, then a circle within that. Carve characters within the boundary of the two- which ones? How many? Her mind raced.

[_Don't be afraid to improvise. Seals can be reinforced by characters, but shapes are equally important. For instance, the branching shape of the forks of a Triskelion is what directs all energy to the center and freezes the target bound by it. If you need an impromptu loop-_]

"Execute Program!" Achan shouted as she clenched her fist. "Feedback Spiral!"

The MC screamed as two circles, one within another, scorched themselves in red light onto the ground beneath his feet. A single line burned itself in ever-receding loops from the inner circle towards its center point, creating a perfect spiral. Achan turned her attention away from him to focus on the crowd. "And now for them."

Rosa's barrier began to fall away, and her attendants readied a new page. "Here they come!"

Achan exhaled, and felt sweat running down her forehead, as well as a stabbing pain in the back of her skull. This was exhausting, even taking Devi's lessons into account. To her surprise, however, her reserves hadn't run as low as she thought. It was a toss-up as to whether she could concentrate hard enough to paralyze the group, but beyond the calculations growing more difficult, she could do this even without Devi.

[_Together, we can save everyone._]

"And even if you aren't here," she found herself saying as she constructed a magical circle around herself and Rosa, forming an impromptu barrier, "if you hadn't told me how, I never could have done this. Devi, this one's for-"

There was a sudden burst of light, and the occupants of the arena fell to the ground, cursing. Achan and Rosa were forced to shield their eyes.

A second noise rang out- a loud banging and crashing. Dust swept over the arena. Achan felt her barrier seal slowly retract, stressed to the breaking point. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. "What the hell?"

"You overdid it," a familiar voice chided. A thick dust had risen up from whatever attack had rocked the arena, obscuring the speaker. "That could have harmed the two we came here to visit."

"_You_ came here to visit, you mean," a second voice corrected- this one much younger and female, the high pitch and lilt making it seem child-like. "Anyway, I'm out of here. Remember, you said you owed me a favor!"

"And I'll do my best to repay it. Now run along."

The smoke cleared. Every single member of the arena was on the ground- and more surprising, cards were scattered around them, slashed neatly in half. Achan recognized the remains of Grayson's dark cards among them, leaving little doubt as to their identities. There was no trace of the second speaker, but Achan could clearly see the first. "You?"

Rosa blinked. "You? Why are you here? We promised not to meet for another hour."

Achan turned to Rosa, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You- you know him?"

"He's the one who offered to build me a body."

Evan shook dust from his white coat and sneezed. "Quite. I met Miss Marie and was impressed with her determination, so I offered to secure a human body for her if she was able to prove she was willing to risk everything for it. She proved herself capable." He shook his head from side to side. "It's a pity you weren't able to obtain the money."

Rosa bristled. "You told me I could win the sum you asked for here! If you hadn't directed me-"

"As I said, I needed to be sure you had the resolve. Even if you had lost, I would have rescued you," Evan interrupted. "Now that you have demonstrated it, I'm willing to construct a body for you. You can repay me by using it to carve out a name for yourself."

Achan could hardly believe what she was hearing. She wanted to speak up, but the words caught in her throat. It was almost unbelievable that Evan would have stepped in had Rosa lost.

But when she had lost to him two nights ago, he hadn't taken her life. Just Devi's.

He could build Rosa a body too, Achan was sure of it. That man had built hers, and clearly knew the spells to modify it. It left only one doubt. "How do we know if you won't install some kind of control mechanism in her or something?"

"I would have installed one in your body if I had any interest in such things." Evan stared Achan down. "You may not have forgiven me, daughter, but I've only ever done what's best for you."

Rosa turned to Achan. "He's your father?"

"He made my body." Achan refused to say the rest. "So he's not lying about being able. I can't forgive him for what he did to Devi, though."

"I _saved_ you. If you don't believe me about your partner's betrayal, I understand. But he would have devoured you bit by bit to save himself. You can already tell- your reserves should have been drained dry by him leaving. Instead, your magical prowess is _growing._ You would have been incapable of that display of power before. I watched." Evan's tone was gentler when speaking to Achan, more paternal.

She hated it.

"Achan, did he-" Rosa grimaced, turning on Evan. "You hurt my friend! You took someone from her, didn't you? Leave! Leave now! I'll never take a body from you, I don't care-"

"You would sacrifice your dreams for the sake of a friend?" Evan interrupted.

"I won't. But I won't use your help to achieve them either." Rosa wrapped her arms around Achan's leg. "Achan saved my life. I won't take help from someone who hurt her."

Evan turned his attention to Achan. "Well, my daughter? What do you think?"

Achan felt a rising wave of anger move over her body. Magic began to gather around her hands as she remembered what had happened that night. Every ounce of pain, every piece of humiliation came flooding back. The cold hands. The cuts along her body. Her whimpers, her screams. Every minute of the ordeal. She relived them all in an instant. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Rosa, take the body."

Rosa released her leg. "What?"

"I said take it." Achan felt tears dripping down her face, but she didn't care. "If he'd wanted to kill me or take my mind prisoner he would have already. And he didn't know we were friends until now. And- and I know people who could probably make sure you don't have control spells or something on you. You're probably never going to get a chance like this again, so take it." The tears were flowing freely from her left eye. "Devi's gone, and he's never coming back. But- but if you don't get what we came here for, then all of this was just meaningless."

Rosa twisted. "Achan, he-"

"I know what he did!" Achan found herself screaming. "I know what he did and I don't care! And- and if you're my father or something," she shouted, directing all her anger at Evan. "If you're my fucking father then you can pay me back for what you did to Devi with this! Give her the best damn body you've ever fucking made and just get the fuck out of my life, I never want to see you again!"

"...I cannot promise I'll leave you forever. But I will do as you wish." Evan looked into Rosa's eyes. "Provided, of course, Miss Marie will relent."

Rosa's tiny hands clenched into fists. "You sicken me," she said after a minute. "You sicken me and I can't believe I'm saying this. But," she took a deep breath. "I trust Achan. And I know that once you complete this body for me if you come near her again, the first thing I'll do is wring your neck!"

Evan cracked a smile, which disappeared as quickly as it came. "Very well. I've prepared the body already. It's a simple affair- all I needed was enough raw material to transmute into a shell of a female human. I've taken the liberty of giving it a similar apparent age to my daughter's, and I've patterned the appearance as well as I could after yours. Of course, it won't serve as a magical conduit and it will be as vulnerable as a normal human's, so please take care with it. Your soul should be able to freely move between it and your original body, but I can't promise I will be around to provide you a new shell should this one break."

"I'll change my mind if you keep chattering about it," Rosa growled. "I- Achan, I can't do this! I can't take something from him!"

"You have to, okay?" Achan couldn't stop sobbing. "You just have to. I couldn't save Kastle, I lost Devi, I lost- I lost too much. I'm not letting you lose something you dreamed of because of that, okay? So just take it."

Rosa raised her hand to her eyes, and sniffed. "I- I want to cry right now, but dolls can't." She turned to Evan. "So... so give it to me already. I need it now."

"Understood." Evan raised his arm, and in a shimmer of light a book Achan recognized as the Lesser Key appeared in his hands. "I'll use this to transport it here. My facilities are some distance away."

He flipped the book open and began murmuring inaudible spells. A bright green magic circle opened beneath his feet, and he stepped back. It pulsed once, twice, and then a shape appeared in the center.

In spite of her anger, Rosa's jaw dropped. "It's-"

"Considering your partner's identity, I thought it would be quite fitting," Evan said as he gestured to the object he had summoned.

A human Rosa lay in the center of an ornate, glass coffin. Her hands were folded over her chest, which rose and fell to indicate that even without an animating spirit the body inside was physically quite alive. The facial features had been expertly sculpted to match Rosa's as closely as possible, though Evan had clearly taken liberties- freckles dotted her cheeks, nose, and shoulders in places. Evan had also taken the liberty of clothing it in a simple, navy blue one-piece swimsuit. Rosa reached up, running her hand along the coffin's edge. "It's- it's too frilly," she growled. "The coffin I mean. I suppose the body's satisfactory. Just tell me how to transfer my soul to it!"

Evan gently lifted the coffin's lid, and extended his hand to Rosa, offering her a boost. The doll gave a loud "Hmph" before turning to Achan instead. Drying her eyes, Achan gently lifted Rosa up to stand level with the body's face.

"The transfer is relatively easy," Evan explained as he lifted the Lesser Key again. "I'll provide you with a bit of magic to ease the transition, but all you should need is to concentrate on the initial connection. Simply touch the body and focus."

Achan took a deep breath and held it. She began to focus. Without Devi as the source of her power, she might be able to use her seal magic against Evan properly. If he hurt Rosa, she would do everything she could to finish him.

Rosa knelt, touching her new body's hands. "...Farewell, Father. Thank you for giving birth to me," she said as she closed her eyes.

"Touching. I wish my own daughter thought as highly of me." Evan closed his own eyes and began to murmur.

There was no flash, and no pyrotechnics. A dull blue light flowed through Rosa and into the new body, then vanished. Evan slammed the Lesser Key shut as Rosa's doll body slumped to the side, inert. Her bear attendants leaped to catch it, preventing it from shattering on the ground.

Achan held her breath as she watched Rosa's new body. It was clearly breathing, but she didn't stir. As if reading her thoughts, Evan spoke up. "Give it a minute. Her soul is simply adjusting. She should wake up any- aha."

Rosa's eyes opened. She flexed her hands, slowly looking across her body. "I'm- awake. I'm... I..."

Her eyes filled with tears. She rolled from the coffin, rushed to Achan and swept her into a hug. Achan barely noticed that Rosa had almost four inches on her as she met her embrace.

Evan sighed. "...Until we meet again, my daughter."

"Fuck you," Achan managed through her tears. It was hollow, but it as all she could do.

She didn't know how long she spent crying together with Rosa there, in the ruins of the arena. But she knew that in that moment, for once, everything had almost been worth it.

Almost.

-00000000000000-

**Homebrew Cards:**

**Revolutionary Rebirth**

_Counter Trap_

When an opponent special summons a monster: you can activate this card. Special summon a monster from your graveyard in face-up attack or defense position. During the end phase, destroy the monster summoned by this effect and gain life points equal to its attack points.

**Lion of Red Lotus**

Monster/FIRE/Beast/Synchro/Effect/8*

Atk 3000/Def 1800

"1 Tuner monster + 1 or more non-tuner Monsters except effect monsters"

Cannot be special summoned except by synchro summon. During your battle phase, you can banish any number of Normal monsters in your graveyard, this card can attack a number of monsters your opponent controls equal to the number banished once each. When this card is destroyed: shuffle all your banished normal monsters back into your deck and draw one card.

-0000000000000000-

**Deck Profiling!**

**Rosa's Deck: **"Pursuing a Dream"

Rosa's central deck core is basically unchanged in this second iteration of her deck. She still focuses on using the powerful effect of Box of Friends to special summon monsters from her main deck and perform Rank 4 Xyz summons for cards such as Princess Cologne. The addition of two new cards has opened up an entirely new avenue of strategy, however. The first is Masked Chameleon, which can special summon her Gem-Knight Garnet or Blazing Inpachi from the graveyard when it is normal summoned at the cost of preventing her from special summoning other monsters from outside of the extra deck that turn. This single card opens up the possibility of her deck accessing not only its usual Rank 4 Xyz, but also a Level Eight synchro monster. In order to take advantage of this, Rosa has also given her extra deck overhauls. The first and most obvious one is the addition of synchro monsters themselves, but the second is her addition of King of the Feral Imps. By detaching a material, King of the Feral Imps can be used to search her deck for the reptile-type Masked Chameleon. Rosa can even summon a Masked Chameleon, revive a normal monster, overlay them to summon King, and search out a new Masked Chameleon by detaching the normal monster in order to set up successive Xyz or Synchro summons across two turns.

An unusual feature of Rosa's deck is her preference for the "Forbidden" spell cycle of cards, increasing or decreasing a monster's attack points in order to interfere with card effects. Forbidden Chalice and Forbidden Lance are both cards with many flexible uses, Lance in particular giving Rosa either the ability to protect her own card from opposing trap or spell effects or to interfere with an opponent's plans by cutting the attack points of a monster they control.

**Ace Card: **As before, Rosa's ace card remains Princess Cologne. The ability to special summon a Box of Friends from the graveyard allows her to set up combination plays for new Xyz monsters, including King of the Feral Imps. Box of Friends itself might be thought of as the 'ace' of Rosa's entire strategy. Box of Friends can be used for monsters other than level four monsters, unlike Rescue Rabbit. However Rank 4 builds have extra stability due to the high amount of synergy between King of the Feral Imps and Masked Chameleon.


End file.
